How Do You Know When You’re Too Tired to Drive?
In 2015, a 20-year old woman had just finished an overnight shift at a clothing store and was driving home when her drowsiness took over. She had only slept 3 of the last 36 hours, which caused her to crash into another car, killing the other driver. The 20-year old received up to two years in prison, and her license was suspended for three years.
She knew she shouldn’t have been driving because she was exhausted, and her actions had severe consequences. This accident shows that driving while tired is just as dangerous as drunk driving because your reaction time is delayed, and you have trouble focusing on what you’re doing.
Each year, there are about 37,000 car crashes caused by drowsy driving that result in injury, and just under 1,000 that are fatal, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The NHTSA goes on to say that most drowsy driving crashes occur between midnight and 6 in the morning, and usually are single vehicle crashes with just a driver. So how do you know when you’re too tired to drive?