Are You at Risk of Drowsy Driving?

Drowsy driving is a very dangerous activity. It can be just as dangerous as drunk driving or driving while texting. There are certain risks that one should avoid when driving to prevent drowsy driving. Driving while sleepy or fatigued is a highly underestimated factor in auto accidents around the country. That can be seen in the fact that no state, except New Jersey, has any law that prevents persons from driving while they are sleepy or fatigued.
There is also plenty of misinformation as far as drowsy driving is concerned. You may be at risk of dozing off at the wheel and not even know it, increasing your risk of an accident.

For instance, there are several other factors besides lack of sleep that could affect your alertness levels while you're driving. If you have been awake for at least 16 hours or more in the previous 24 hours, you may be at a high risk of dozing off while performing a monotonous task like driving. Further, if you're in the habit of sleeping for 6 or less hours a day, you may be at risk for drowsy driving, and not know it.

Additionally, many people make mistakes when they calculate the number of hour

s of sleep they had. If you have had highly interrupted sleep, and have woken up at frequent intervals during the night, you may suffer from sleep deprivation and not even know it. In other words, you may be a prime candidate for a drowsy driving-related accident.

People who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea or other sleep-related disorders may also be at risk of interruptions during sleep. This increases their risk of dozing off at the wheel while they're driving the next day.

Several studies indicate that the risk from drowsy driving is very similar to the risk from driving with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit. Over the next few weeks, as more Americans drive on holiday with little time for sleep, it's expected that the risk of these accidents will only increase.