On a Wednesday morning in October, 2015, Wanganui woman Sara Angela Taylor died at the scene when the car she was driving left the road and crashed into a culvert on State Highway 1 near Rata on July 18. She was 24.Senior police crash analyst Constable Les Medford said in his opinion the cause was “most likely to be fatigue”. He did not believe speed was a factor.
Each year, approximately 100,000 police-reported crashes are the direct result of driver fatigue, according to The National Highway Traffic Safety. This results in an estimated 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries, and $12.5 billion in monetary losses.
Driving sleep deprived is one of the leading causes of car accidents. A sleep deprived person poses a threat, not only to himself but also to the people he comes across while driving. The only major risk of fatigue driving is death since there is hardly a country where a driver can be charged for breaking the law just because he was driving sleep deprived.
Although, driving while fatigued is not a legal offense but it is immoral and illogical to drive in such a condition. An exhausted driver poses the same threats, to himself and to the others, as a drunk driver does. Hence we should always be careful with or driving plan. Mentioned are a few tips that can help regarding the accidents caused by sleep deprived driving.
- Taking a quick nap or some rest before taking off for a long drive is always a good idea. The nap would refresh you and you would automatically feel better.
- Taking some rest before a drive also boosts up your confidence level and puts you in a good mood. It relieves pressure and releases stress.
- While driving, if you feel sleepy on the road, you should immediately pull over at the nearest gas station and take a pause from driving. Buy some snacks and refreshments to feel better and clear your head. The Guelph driving school offers few of the best car driving instructors. These instructors strongly advise in favor of this particular point.
- Turn on the radio or play some music on the stereo to keep yourself from sleeping. Hum to yourself if you want to. But make sure that the music you are listening to is not soothing and comforting. Don’t listen to soft music if you are trying to stay awake. Loud music would be a better choice in such a situation.
- Another good way of keeping yourself from sleeping at the steering wheel is by pulling down the side windows. If you are on a highway, you will get a lot of air due to the probable car speed, which may keep you occupied and retain you from sleeping.
- If even after stopping for snacks and turning on the music, you still feel sleepy, pull over and doze off in the car for a while. You never know what wonders a quick short nap can do.
In short, no matter what the circumstances are, one must never drive exhausted. Even during emergencies, it is better to take a cab rather than risking to drive while fatigued.
