It’s tragic to realize that something as simple as someone’s lack of sleep can be the cause of a horrific car accident or semi-truck crash where victims die from something so easily preventable. So many people think that driving while they are a bit tired, or even where they are very sleepy and even exhausted isn’t that bad: after all, not everyone has the luxury of a good night’s sleep. You can’t stop living just because you had a bout of insomnia, right?
For safety agencies, cognitive function researchers, and those advocating for accident victims and their loved ones, adequate sleep must be recognized by everyone as a necessity for every driver. The human brain demands rest, and without enough sleep there can be innumerable physical and mental problems.
A driver who is really exhausted may even be driving impaired to the extent that their responses or reactions are similar to someone behind the wheel with an illegal blood alcohol content. Studies show that someone operating a motor vehicle with less than five (5) hours of sleep will act as if they were driving drunk.
Brain Function and Fatigue
Scientists measure the impact of sleepiness or fatigue on the human brain in various ways, such as the Stanford Sleepiness Scale and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Both of these methods involve testing study participants’ responses to various stimuli and assigning scores; for instance, the Epworth scales range from (1) normal; (2) moderate impairment; and (3) sever impairment. Read, Bener, Abdulbari, et al. “Driver sleepiness, fatigue, careless behavior and risk of motor vehicle crash and injury: Population based case and control study.” Journal of Traffic and Transportation engineering (English edition) 4.5 (2017): 496-502.
It is an ongoing area of study. While it is clear that a fatigued brain correlates with an increased risk of a serious or fatal motor vehicle accident, the inner workings of the human brain and the impact of fatigue or exhaustion is still in many ways a mystery. Explains one study:
“Physical fatigue crucially influences our decisions to partake in effortful action. However, there is a limited understanding of how fatigue impacts effort-based decision-making at the level of brain and behavior.…
Read, Hogan, Patrick S., et al. “Neural mechanisms underlying the effects of physical fatigue on effort-based choice.” Nature communications 11.1 (2020): 4026 and “Got Fatigue? Study Further Pinpoints Brain Regions That May Control It,” news release published by Johns Hopkins School of Medicine on August 26, 2020.
Drowsy Driving and Fatal Accidents
It is not disputed that a driver operating a car, truck, minivan, motorcycle, pickup, semi-truck, or tractor-trailer that is tired, sleepy, fatigued, or exhausted will be what is known as a “drowsy driver.” And for safety experts, drowsy driving is a known cause of fatal crashes. It is considered as a form of impairment and fatigued drivers are recognized as a cause of a significant number of fatalities each year.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirm that 1 in 25 adult drivers report having fallen asleep while driving. And important warnings come from the National Sleep Foundation’s 2023 Drowsy Driving Survey, where drowsy driving is considered to be “a significant public health concern in the United States.”
From the NSF 2023 Survey:
- drowsy driving accounts for roughly 20% of all motor vehicle crashes
- driver sleepiness is implicated in 21% of all motor vehicle crashes resulting in a death
- driver sleepiness is implicated in 13% of motor vehicle crashes resulting in hospitalizations
- drowsy driving causes as many as 6,400 deaths in the United States each year.
Driving and Fatigued or Exhausted Brain
Why is drowsy driving so dangerous? From a driver’s perspective, the lack of sufficient sleep and rest will cause various things to happen to their brain’s ability to function. These include:
- Less alert to surroundings
- Less ability to concentrate on tasks
- Easily confused
- Hampered ability to focus
- Less able to make decisions
- Lowered speed in making decisions
- Slowed reaction times
- Less able to integrate information and process it correctly
- Increased likelihood of inappropriate emotional responses, e.g., road rage.
For more, read: “The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Your Body,” written by Stephanie Watson and Kristeen Cherney published by HealthLine on January 16, 2024.
Protecting Driver’s Brain Power: Ways to Make Sure Fatigue Doesn’t Cause a Crash
Fatal accidents are not intentional events; these are travesties where no one wanted the crash to happen. Usually, everyone involved as well as their loved ones spends a great deal of time thinking about all the ways that the tragedy could have been avoided.
For advocates of accident victims, investigation into fatal motor vehicle accidents comes with a recognition that some simple steps might have prevented the collision or wreck that resulted from a fatigued or exhausted driver. These include:
- Avoiding alcohol or stimulants (like caffeinated beverages) before going to bed
- Avoiding alcohol before or while driving
- Understanding the impact of any medications or over-the-counter drugs may have on driving and the ability to concentrate
- Turning off smartphones and other devices to allow the brain to calm and prepare for sleep
- Getting enough hours of sleep (the American Academy of Sleep Medicine advises at least seven hours of sleep each night)
- Having a routine for sleep (keeping regular hours for sleep)
- Taking rest breaks during any long drive
- Taking a break from being behind the wheel at least every two hours
- Having a plan for stopping for sleep if needed should driver start feeling tired
- Have travel plans with more than one driver to drive in turn.
Justice for Victims of Drowsy Drivers or Fatigued Driving Accidents
If you or a loved one is involved in a severe motor vehicle accident or semi-truck crash, you have a legal right to independently investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident to determine all the reasons why it happened.
This investigation may reveal many things, including a driver who was driving with impaired brain function because of a lack of sleep. The reasons for drowsy driving are many, and victim advocates may find there is extended legal liability in these situations, such as the failure of an employer or trucking carrier’s management and oversight practices in protecting against a fatigued or exhausted truck driver behind the wheel at the time of the crash.
A real-life example of a trucker pushed beyond the limits to meet a deadline and suffering a fatal rollover crash, can be found in the affidavit testimony shared in Exhausted Truck Drivers: Who Can Discover ELD and HOS Fraud to Enforce Federal Safety Laws?
For more, read:
- Drowsy Driving and the Risk of Fatal Traffic Accidents in Indiana and Illinois
- Driving, the Brain, and Serious or Fatal Injuries: The Neuroscience of Driving in Car Accidents and Truck Crashes
- Fatal Car Accident and Deadly Truck Crash Investigations: What is Expectancy Violation?
- Truck Driver Fatalities on the Rise: Fatigue, Speed, and the Trucking Industry
- Fatal Accidents and Wrongful Death Lawsuits in Indiana and Illinois.
Drivers without enough sleep are a danger to themselves and their passengers, and everyone sharing the roads with them here in Illinois and Indiana. Tragic and preventable fatal crashes can happen in an instant when someone is driving with their brain impaired by fatigue or exhaustion. Please be careful out there!
