You have heard that drunk driving accident claims the lives of numerous people on a daily basis, what most people don’t realize is the fact that driving while tired can have the exact same deadly affects. Everyone has been tired; it is just a way of life. Whether we are over exhausted because of our work schedules, our children, our sports, or other activities, we know what it is like to feel as though sleep is the only thing we can cut out of our schedule. Honestly, there are many of us who are confident that we function well off of little sleep, often receiving just a few hours each night in order to accomplish everything that is on our plate, with the help of coffee of course.

Despite our believing that we are fine off of little or no sleep on a consistent basis, our bodies do not agree and as a result we can become dangerous, especially if put behind the wheel of a car. So, why is driving tired dangerous, you may ask? The answer is simple, driving tired is as serious as drunk driving because it has the same effect on our body and awareness abilities as driving drunk does, if not even more so. Being tired behind the wheel of a car can not only be risky, but it can also be fatal. Tiredness can result in a slower reaction time when on the road including the changing of a light, a driver switching lanes quickly in front of you, or even a pedestrian walking in a crosswalk. Because of that, you are less aware of your surroundings and the likelihood of an accident is very possible. Even your judgment ability is decreased both for smart decisions and judgment for details such as driving distances, etc.

Being a little sleepy after a good night’s sleep is a little different than actual fatigue or drowsiness. When drivers are actually drowsy it is likely caused by frequent nights of sleep with 5 hours or less a night for a long period of time. The difference is that one bad night of sleep won’t ruin your pattern; however frequent short nights can truly run your body down and eventually lead to a dangerous car accident. Not only are drowsy driving accidents dangerous, they are also difficult to pinpoint when they occur. In contrast to a drunk driving accident, if the driver responsible was DUI, then there would be blood tests, breath tests, etc. to determine that they were in fact impaired behind the wheel. Especially in the event of the driver’s death, there is little information for the investigators to base their assumptions off of when the accident was resulted by drowsiness. While it is not impossible to determine from an accident, it makes it much more difficult when their blood tests won’t read levels of tiredness.

Sleepiness while driving not only produces less awareness on the road, but it also can result in short term memory loss, a dangerous addition to being behind the wheel of a vehicle. Sleepiness can affect your ability to process information therefore endangering those both around your car and within. Believe it or not, tired drivers are also more likely to be aggressive on the road, increasing their chances of getting in an accident. The causes of drowsiness can be varied and not just be because you have a busy schedule. It also includes those who have a hard time falling asleep, those who frequently wake up in the night, or are otherwise suffering from sleep disorders. Proceed with caution when driving tired, and perhaps make other arrangements if you feel as though it may be too dangerous to get on the road.