Driving While Drowsy: What You Need To Know

13 December 2017
 Categories: Law, Blog

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Car accidents are among the highest cause of death and injury across the United States. Many accidents are caused by negligent drivers who are impaired by alcohol or drugs. However, many negligent accidents occur due to drivers who are overtired and drowsy. Although driving while drowsy can happen at any time of day, many times the accidents occur during the overnight and early morning hours. The following are some things that all drivers should know about driving while drowsy:

Why Does Anyone Drive While Drowsy?

There are any number of reasons why someone would get behind the wheel while they are overtired. At first, many people do not feel tired when they first enter the vehicle. If you have been in an exuberant or busy atmosphere, your body will be running on adrenaline. Adrenaline causes you to feel very energetic and awake, leading you to believe that you are not as tired as you actually are. However, that feeling will eventually wear off and you will eventually fall to the natural circadian rhythm that regulates your sleep.

How Can You Avoid Driving When You Are Too Tired?

You do not want to risk falling asleep while you are at the wheel. You can hurt or kill yourself and others on the road. Therefore, it is important that you avoid driving while driving at all costs.

While circumstances can be difficult to control, there are some things that you can aim to do to prevent the likelihood that you will be too tired to drive. First, you need to get adequate sleep each night. If you work late at night, try to adjust your daily schedule so that you can sleep later in the morning to get an adequate amount of sleep each night.

If you are about to embark upon a long drive or road trip, make sure you get enough sleep beforehand. Not only should you get enough sleep the night before, but you should also try to take a nap if you are not leaving for your trip until late in the day.

Make sure that you are not taking any sort of medication, prescription or over-the-counter, that could cause you to be drowsy. This will only exacerbate your level of exhaustion and cause you to possibly get into an accident.

Finally, be sure that you are able to recognize when you are too tired. Do not trudge through in order to get to your destination more quickly. Pull over at a safe location and take a rest when you think you are too tired. It could save your life and the lives of those on the road with you.

Contact a law firm, like Bellotti Law Group, P.C., for more help.