It is no secret that fatigued drivers cause numerous accidents across the country, including many here in Minnesota. Getting enough sleep seems to be an elusive goal for many people, but for some people, regular sleep does not happen as often as it should. Certain groups tend to suffer from sleep-deprived driving more often than others do, and it makes them a danger to everyone else on the road.
It should not surprise anyone that people who work the graveyard shift end up driving drowsy quite a bit. The disruption to their circadian rhythm is substantial. The same thing happens to people who work rotating shifts. Another high-risk working group is comprised of those who work no less than 60 hours a week. A Minnesota resident who works two jobs may have trouble getting good sleep before driving, but if that person’s primary job also involves rotating shifts or working graveyard the danger only increases.
Another group of drivers who may suffer from constant sleep deprivation are long haul truck drivers and those who travel for business. Long hours on the road and jet lag both make it a challenge to get good, quality sleep. What may surprise some people is that men under the age of 26 round out the list of high-risk drivers when it comes to drowsy driving.
Of course, motorists have no way of knowing if the drivers around them fall into one of these sleep-deprived driving categories. All they can do is pay attention and be ready to react quickly should something go wrong. For drivers who are unable to avoid a collision with someone who was too drowsy to drive safely, it may be possible to pursue restitution for the unavoidable and inevitable financial and other losses that accompany a motor vehicle accident.