We all get tired. It is the nature of life in 2018. Many of us have families, jobs, volunteering, sporting events, chores and other daily routines that consistently drain our energy. No matter how busy you might get, however, you should not get behind the wheel of a care while fatigued.
Driver fatigue leads to fatal car accidents and injuries every year. A driver who is too tired to drive will lose focus, have slow reaction time or fall asleep entirely while driving. A crash ensues and often leads to not just injuries to a driver, but to others on the roads as well.
While all kinds of people lead busy lives, driver fatigue is a danger commonly associated with commercial truck drivers. The truckers have long hours behind the wheel. They spend more time driving than the average driver. The risk of being involved in a driver fatigue accident is high.
Commercial drivers, due to their training and driving experience, might think that they are above the fatal risk of driver fatigue. That’s a dangerous belief. If truckers and all drivers better understood what can lead to or help fatigue, maybe Texas roads would become safer.
There are a few myths some drivers believe that make them less likely to take precautions to avoid driving while fatigued. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration compiled a list of falsehoods that create dangerous and possibly overtired drivers.
If a trucker caused an accident, the victim or their family should wonder whether the driver believed any or all the following myths:
“I’m experienced with driving long hours and am used to the demand.”
It is quite simple: the longer a person is awake, the likelier he or she is to become fatigued. People need sleep to function properly, and most definitely to safely maneuver a large commercial vehicle.
“I’m young and energetic. I wouldn’t get fatigued behind the wheel.”
Statistics show it is younger drivers who cause the most sleep-related accidents. It is likely due to driver inexperience, as well as lifestyle choices.
“If I’m going to fall asleep, I will know it.”
Research shows people can fall asleep involuntarily. Willpower is not stronger than the body’s need to sleep. Many accidents happen, and the responsible driver didn’t even remember nodding off.
“I can outsmart my body’s need to sleep.”
Turning up the radio, shouting, singing and engaging in other types of these activities is only possibly a quick fix. Your body will still fight to sleep. Also, these activities could add the danger of distraction to an already tired driver’s dangerous situation.
On paper, the above misjudgments seem innocent and silly. On the roads, one or more of the miscalculations can be deadly. All drivers are obligated to follow traffic safety rules and to respect the lives of everyone on the roads.
If you were injured in a truck accident because the driver was too tired to drive, wake that driver up to the reality that he or she violated your rights. A truck accident lawyer knows how to evaluate the case to try to identify evidence of driver fatigue. Contact us today to get started toward your recovery.
