Driving a vehicle while fatigued – even for a short distance – is dangerous for you and everyone else on the road. It can lead to severe accidents, injuries, and even fatalities. Recognizing the risks of drowsy driving helps you take appropriate measures to safeguard yourself, your passengers, and others on the road.
Drowsy driving statistics show that thousands of accidents are caused by driving while fatigued annually. In 2017, drowsy driving was a significant contributing factor to 91,000 crashes, resulting in 50,000 injuries and nearly 800 deaths. In 2021, 684 fatalities resulted from accidents involving drowsy driving – an 8.2% increase from the 632 lives lost in 2020.
Drowsiness is hazardous when you’re behind the wheel, as it can drastically impact multiple elements of safe driving, including:
- Your ability to make good decisions
- Your reaction time to brake or steer suddenly
- Your attention to the road
- Microsleeps
A microsleep is a short span of sleep lasting up to 30 seconds. Sometimes, you may not even notice you’ve experienced one. Microsleep often occurs due to sleep deprivation but may also stem from alcohol consumption, medical conditions affecting sleep, medications with sedative or hypnotic qualities, or night-shift work. Such sleepy episodes on the road can prove fatal. Road conditions are ever-changing, and being unaware of your surroundings for just brief moment can lead to serious accidents.
Factors That Impact Driving Fatigue
Considering tens of thousands of accidents and hundreds of fatalities occur every year due to drowsy driving and microsleep, learning to recognize the signs of fatigue is essential to prevent accidents. Driving fatigue dangers can stem from numerous factors, possibly a combination of factors, including the following:
Lack of Sleep. Prolonged wakefulness or inadequate sleep are significant contributing factors involved in driving fatigue. Sleep deprivation can wreak havoc on your body, leaving your brain exhausted and unable to complete tasks efficiently. You may notice you have a tough time focusing or learning new things. Additionally, your reaction time might be slower due to the delay in signals traveling to and from your brain. These delays can decrease your coordination and increase your risk of an accident.
If you continually get too little sleep – less than seven hours per day – you gradually accrue “sleep debt,” making it more likely you’ll fall asleep unintentionally. This is associated with more reports of overwhelming drowsiness while behind the wheel.
Stress. Stress is often directly related to fatigue. Prolonged stress, particularly high stress levels, can result in chronic fatigue and sleep disruptions, contributing to overall fatigue. Excessive stress ties back into sleep deprivation, contributing to the overall fatigue issue and the dangers of drowsiness behind the wheel.
Irregular Sleep Patterns. Inconsistent sleep schedules and frequent waking periods during the night can contribute to overall fatigue. Various studies have discovered that irregular sleeping patterns can negatively affect the body’s metabolism, which regulates how we use energy and function overall. The impact on energy use can contribute to overall feelings of fatigue and drowsiness, particularly while sedentary during driving.
Driving For Long Periods. Sitting behind the wheel for countless hours can contribute to fatigue, especially if you’re experiencing mental or physical exhaustion. Lengthy stretches of empty roads with little to no stimulus can cause your alertness to decrease, while longer sitting times can cause higher levels of general and physical fatigue.
Medications. Certain medications can contribute to feelings of drowsiness, heightening the importance of avoiding driving while taking these medications. Common medications that can cause sleepiness include antidepressants, antihistamines, antiemetics, antipsychotics, anticonvulsants, high blood pressure medications, benzodiazepines, drugs to treat parkinson’s disease, muscle relaxants and opioids. These medications often have drowsiness or fatigue listed as side effects. Recognizing them and reacting appropriately to avoid fatigue-related vehicle accidents is essential.
Time of Day. The body’s natural biological clock can contribute to fatigue, as it causes highs and lows of drowsiness throughout the day. For many adults, drowsiness is at its highest between two and four in the morning and one and three in the afternoon. Car accidents also rise during the shifts to and from daylight savings time due to the darker hours in the morning or evening.
Warning Signs of Driver Fatigue: Know When to Stop
Crucial to preventing drowsy driving is learning to recognize the signs. While pinpointing when you’ll fall asleep is tricky, fatigue often provides various warning signs before it pulls you into sleep, including:
- Muscle twitching
- Frequent yawning
- Back tension
- Shallow breathing
- Heavy, numb, or tingly sensation in your limbs
- Wandering or disconnected thoughts, including difficulty recalling the last miles you’ve driven
- Burning or heavy sensation in your eyes
- Difficulty focusing
- Frequent blinking
- Missing an exit, drifting in your lane, crossing roadway lines, or hitting the rumble strip
When you notice any of these signs, it’s time to pull over to rest and recuperate. It’s best to take a break and get a nap, even a short one, to replenish your energy stores. You may be tempted to grab a few cups of coffee on the way to minimize drowsiness. While caffeine blocks adenosine from acting on brain cells, which prevents you from feeling drowsy, it’s often a short-term fix. Some individuals may experience a “crash” after the effects of the caffeine wear off, leaving them feeling more tired than before.
Sleep Tips for People Who Are Constantly on the Road
Individuals who are constantly behind the wheel must take extra precautions to promote their safety and that of others on the road. Various sleep tips for staying awake while driving can help you get better sleep and minimize fatigue, including:
Minimize Disturbances. Block out all lights, minimize noise, and park in a safe place. Reduce disruptions by asking family, friends, and dispatchers not to disturb you while you sleep.
Avoid Heavy Meals and Liquids. If you’re going to eat a heavy or spicy meal, eat it at least three hours before bed. Try to consume less liquids before sleep to minimize trips to the bathroom.
Get Comfortable. Keep your cab or bedroom temperature at your preferred level and choose a comfortable mattress and pillow to promote good quality sleep.
Minimize Caffeine Consumption. Avoid consuming caffeine before sleep, as it can impact your ability to get good quality sleep.
Other practices that promote the well-being of drivers include mandated breaks or specific driving limits. Fatigue monitoring systems, smart wearables, and apps that track driving behavior can also aid in reducing fatigue-related accidents.
Source: Chopra & Nocerino, LLP
