These days, many people know that drowsy driving is almost as bad as intoxicated driving, or even worse in some ways.
Many more people must then come to the understanding that microsleeping is a risk of drowsy driving, and it is a potentially deadly one.
Microsleeping in everyday life
WebMD discusses the risks associated with microsleeping. First, it is important to understand what microsleeping is. In essence, this is the body’s way of attempting to get much-needed sleep when in an exhausted state.
The body will force itself into a sleeping state for a period of one to three seconds at a time, generally speaking. These bursts of sleep continue to happen until the person eventually falls asleep entirely. Unfortunately, wakefulness tricks and tips do nothing in the long run for people experiencing microsleep.
This is a notable issue for drivers especially on the highway, because three seconds may not sound like a long time, but it is. When a car is driving at 60 miles per hour – typical speeds on the highway – it can cover the distance of a football field in three seconds.
Fatal accidents with sleeping drivers
On top of that, many of the most fatal highway disasters happen when a driver falls asleep at the wheel. Many of the most dangerous crashes involve full-speed rear-end collisions, crashes where drivers go off the side of the road, or crashes where a driver veers into oncoming traffic.
Many of these types of crashes happen due to sleepy drivers who cannot react to the dangers around them, yet again proving the dangers of drowsy driving.
