Getting enough sleep is incredibly important. Failing to get enough sleep can lower a person’s effectiveness in a wide variety of tasks. For some tasks, doing with them without enough sleep can even be dangerous.
Driving is one such task. When a person is driving while tired, they can be a major safety liability out on the roads. As the California Highway Patrol recently noted, being overly tired can negatively impact many important things for a driver, including their:
- Reaction time.
- Overall judgment.
- Decision-making abilities.
- Hand-eye coordination.
Drowsy driving has been responsible for a lot of harm out on the roads here in California. In 2013, 4,284 drowsy-driving-involved traffic collisions occurred in the state. These crashes were responsible for 28 fatalities and over 2,000 injuries.
It can sometimes be difficult to determine if drowsy driving was present in a given car accident. Experienced car accident attorneys can help auto crash victims or families of individuals killed in auto accidents look into whether there are any signs that drowsy driving may have been a factor in their crash.
One would hope that all California motorists would stay away from driving when they haven’t gotten sufficient sleep or are overly tired. This week is particularly aimed at getting the message out about the importance of avoiding drowsy driving, as it is “Drowsy Driving Prevention Week.” How aware do you think, generally, California drivers are of the dangers of driving tired? If you were to talk to a friend or family member about drowsy driving, what would you say to them?
Source: The Californian, “CHP warns of drowsy driving danger,” Chelcey Adami, Nov. 2, 2015