Have you ever nodded off behind the wheel? Maybe you felt like you were tired but you thought you could make it home. Then, suddenly, you jerked your head up and realized you’d nodded off. Maybe it was short enough that you hadn’t even left your lane, but you still felt shocked that it had happened to you.
You shouldn’t be. This happens to thousands of people every year. You are certainly not alone, and it’s a hazard that everyone needs to be aware of.
What the numbers say about drowsy driving
One study asked 150,000 people if they had fallen asleep behind the wheel in the last month. A full 4% of them said that they had.
That may seem like a small percentage, but it still accounts for 6,000 people. That’s a massive number in its own right. Plus, it was just for the previous month. If you assume that an average of 6,000 people fall asleep while driving every month, that brings you up to a total of 72,000 people for the year.
Moreover, all of these numbers are just based on the sample size of 150,000 people. There are clearly far more drivers in the country — with roughly 230 million registered drivers. If the rates hold true, that 4% now accounts for more than nine million drivers, and that’s just for a single month.
What should you know about drowsy driving?
The math is concerning, but you can only control your own actions and ensure that you don’t fall asleep while driving. If someone else does and hits your car, then you need to know how to seek financial compensation to cover your injuries and losses.
