So much attention is paid to the dangers posed by drunk driving in Worcester that you might think that intoxicated motorists are the only dangerous drivers you may encounter on the road. The fact is that there is another type of driver that poses just as great a danger as those that are intoxicated. This is the driver that gets behind the wheel after having only had a few hours of sleep or taking a medication that is known to cause drowsiness. The risk that such a motorist presents might be even greater than you would think because people are much more likely to drive while drowsy than while drunk.
Just how prevalent are drowsy drivers? Information shared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that as many as 800 fatal accidents were attributed to drowsy driving. Experts, however, believe that number to much higher (potentially as high as 6,000) due to the fact that few people report being drowsy while driving. Even the numbers that are known are shocking. Indeed, 1 in every 25 respondents to researchers admitted to having fallen asleep behind the wheel in the last 30 days.
How are you to spot a drowsy driver (given that the impact of a collision is likely to wake them up)? Look for subtle clues. Those driving in the late night or early morning hours are more likely to be drowsy. People who work odd hours might also be prone to be drowsy while behind the wheel. As was mentioned earlier, people on medication might also have their response times suppressed by whatever drugs they are taking. Any of these factors might indicate that drowsiness did indeed play a role in your car accident.
