A December 2016 study conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety finds that drivers lacking sleep have a significantly increased risk of a crash when they operate a motor vehicle. The study found that a lack of sleep nearly doubles a driver’s risk of a crash. In addition, sleep deprived drivers may even exhibit similar behavior to an individual that is driving while intoxicated.
According to a Tampa Bay Times article sighting the AAA study, “[s]leep deprivation has been shown to slow reactions, impair vision and lead to long lapses in attention, according to the study. Not getting an adequate amount of rest can cause a person to micro-sleep or “nod off” — or, in severe cases, to fall completely asleep.” In addition, “[d]rivers who slept only 4-5 hours in a 24-hour period are at quadruple the risk of being involved in a crash than those who slept the recommended seven hours, the study shows. When a driver gets less than four hours, that risk jumps to more than 10 times higher.” The article went on to state, “[a] driver who gets five hours of sleep exhibits similar signs to those who are driving under the influence — particularly right around or slightly above the legal .08 blood alcohol limit, the report found. Take away another hour, and their risk of being involved in a crash is 3-4 times higher than someone who is sober.”
The study also found that “drivers who have slept for 1 or more hours less than their usual amount of sleep in the past 24 hours have significantly elevated crash rates.”
The consequences of drowsy or sleep deprived driving are staggering. According to the AAA study, “[p]revious research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has estimated as many as 7% of all crashes, 13% of crashes that result in hospital admission, and 21% of fatal crashes involve driver drowsiness.”
Based on these findings, it appears that drivers should avoid driving when sleep deprived or extremely tired. Drivers should avoid driving during their normal sleep times. On long trips, drivers should share driving responsibilities, take breaks, and sleep in a hotel if possible.
If you or a family member were involved in a motor vehicle crash with a drowsy driver, please contact us at Thacker and Mulvihill, PLLC for a free consultation.