Have you ever woken up feeling tired and groggy? Think about how it affected your day. Perhaps you shouted at your kids, put salt rather than sugar in your first coffee of the day, or spent hours slumped at the computer, staring into space.
No one is at their best when they are tired, and the more tired people get, the less capable they can become of performing everyday tasks or coping with other people. If they have nothing important to do and can stay in bed all day, little can go wrong. Yet, when someone gets into their car, the results could be disastrous for them and others.
Why does tiredness make drivers unsafe?
Here are a few ways that fatigue affects driving:
- Tired eyes are prone to close: Drifting off for even a second could be enough to cause a crash.
- Tiredness slows response time: When driving, you need to notice things, process them and react to them in milliseconds. The slower you are to register a vehicle indicating to turn and the longer it takes your brain to tell your foot to hit the brake pedal, the more likely you crash into it.
- Tired irritability can lead to poor decisions: The world seems a happier place when you wake up well-rested. A lack of sleep can put people on edge and leave them quick to anger. They may react dangerously when another driver does something they dislike.
Getting legal help to show a driver who injured you was fatigued may help you get the compensation you need for the injuries they cause you.
