Have you ever felt tired to the point where you struggled to keep your eyes open? Have you ever gotten in your vehicle regardless and driven home? Hopefully not, but many drivers have, and they continue to do so.
Others might feel fine when they start off, but when tiredness creeps up, they still carry on with their journey.
Fatigue is one of the leading contributory factors to vehicle crashes
Feeling tired at some point in the day is unavoidable. In fact, it’s natural. Driving when fatigued is avoidable, even if it may be inconvenient. Yet many people never even consider not driving when drowsiness creeps up on them.
It’s easy to make excuses for having to drive:
- A truck driver may argue that they have to keep pushing on in order to make their delivery on time. If not, they may fear they’ll lose their job.
- A parent on the school run might argue they have to get in the car because their kids will get in trouble with the school if they are late or do not attend.
- Someone driving home after staying out all night may claim they need to get home in time to have a shower and get to work.
While these are all honorable intentions, they are poor decisions if the person is too tired to drive safely. They could result in the driver severely injuring or even killing themselves, their passengers and others. If that were to happen, the consequences of not driving would seem inconsequential in comparison.
If a driver injures you in a crash, get legal help to examine if tiredness was a contributory factor. Showing it was a factor could help you get the compensation you need.