You know that you wouldn’t get behind the wheel if you had been drinking alcohol. The same is true for prescription drugs that instruct you not to operate heavy machinery. If you’ve been using marijuana or other substances, you also know not to drive because you could face impaired driving charges, along with many other criminal accusations.
Even so, you have likely driven while feeling fatigued. Drowsy driving is very common, and officials warn that it is underreported. It’s likely that it happens much more than people realize, often because they don’t think of it the same way they think of impaired driving.
Key similarities
The truth is that fatigued driving is very similar to drunk driving in a number of ways. For one thing, it can reduce your reaction time. You don’t feel alert, your brain doesn’t process information as quickly and it may take you longer to hit the brakes or recognize a potential obstacle.
In some cases, fatigued driving is so severe that people actually fall asleep behind the wheel. The hum of the tires on the pavement, the repetition of lines on the road and street signs passing the vehicle can all be rather hypnotizing. Someone who is feeling fatigued may try to keep their eyes open and then suddenly jerk their head back up, realizing that they fell asleep. Many people have had this happen where they just nod off for a split second while the car is still driving safely. But this is very dangerous and could lead to a loss of control or a serious accident.
Seeking compensation
Even if you try to avoid fatigued driving, because it happens so often, there’s always a risk that you could be hit by another driver. If so, take the time to carefully look into your options to seek financial compensation.
