Sleepiness And The Truck Driver

It is tough to get a real set of statistics of how many accidents have been caused

by the driver falling asleep at the wheel since few drivers involved in such accidents are willing to admit to fatigue as being the cause of even a minor accident. There have been years of organized advertising campaigns aimed at educating against driving impaired while under the influence of alcohol, illegal drugs and even prescription or over-the-counter medications. It has only been in recent times that focus has been aimed at drivers impaired by drowsiness.

Truck drivers have long been the public example of the drivers who continually drive while sleepy. However, commercial truck drivers are actually trained professionals who are under strict federal regulations for the amount of time allowed to be spent behind the wheel driving a commercial vehicle. Non-commercial drivers, as well as most of the licensed drivers on the road, driving everything from cars to minivans to SUVs and even recreational vehicles are not under the same restrictions of hours in which they are allowed to drive continuously.

Now anyone can bend or break laws at their own free will and commercial truck drivers are not immune to the temptation to do what it takes to get the load to its destination quicker, but for the most part commercial drivers follow the rules. The catastrophe of even one truck weighing in at 80,000 pounds hitting a smaller vehicle at highway speed is usually national headline material which perpetuates negative public opinion. Considering that many trucks also transport loads of hazardous materials that cause mass evacuations after an accident only exacerbates the negative perception of commercial truck drivers some people have.

The truth of the matter is that when licensed drivers of all ages and all license types have been polled about whether or not they have ever driven while sleepy or nodded off while driving, the answers show that more than 60% admit to driving while being sleepy and 37% have actually fallen asleep while driving.*

With driver distraction at an all-time high with cell phones being used to talk and text, Mp3 players, computers in commercial vehicles, having to eat and drink on the run while driving, and driver fatigue on top of all the rest, it is certainly a recipe of disaster waiting to happen to any of us at any time. It is not confined to nor can it be blamed to be caused solely by commercial truck drivers. Accidents due to driving while fatigued can happen to the best of us.

*National Sleep Foundation Sleep in America poll.

This article is not intended to be legal advice.

by: Bob White

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