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Is Poor Sleep Putting You at Risk of a Car Accident?

Sedentary lifestyles and bad eating habits are placing millions of Americans at risk of  poor sleep patterns,  increasing their chances of being involved in an  auto accident.

This  March, the National Sleep Foundation will mark Sleep Awareness Week.  The  special week will be commemorated   between March 12 and March 18.   The National Sleep Foundation wants Americans to understand that when they sleep less than the recommended number of hours a night, they place themselves at risk of tiredness and fatigue that increases their chances  of being involved in an auto accident while driving. In 2022,  the  National Sleep Foundation underscored the car accident risks that come with being in a state of sleep deprivation by partnering with the Drowsy Driving Prevention Project and the National Safety Council.

Last year, the National Sleep Foundation commissioned a poll that threw up interesting insights about the sleep patterns of Americans. The poll found that far too many Americans are not getting enough light exposure in the daytime.  Exposure  to light in the daytime can keep you awake while exposure to dim lighting in the evening can help you sleep.  When  people have very little light exposure in the daytime,  it can affect their ability  to sleep well at night.   Much of the night time light exposure for Americans is presently coming from smartphones.  For most  Americans, bedtime is preceded by at least an hour of scrolling through their smartphones.  The  blue light that is emitted from these screens actually inhibits your ability to sleep well.  When you spend far too much time staring at your cell phone before going to sleep, it makes it that much harder for you to sleep.  The result is fewer hours of sleep than you require,  and consequently, a state of fatigue and drowsiness.   The poll also found that many Americans follow irregular eating patterns, and these too can affect a person’s ability to fall asleep quickly.

There are a number of ways that sleep deprivation can affect your ability to drive safely.  A motorist functioning on very little sleep is not in a state of maximum alertness, and this increases his or her risk of an auto accident.  Lack of  mental alertness can affect a  person’s ability to conduct emergency manoeuvres  while driving.  In the worst case scenario, a  sleep-deprived motorist  may doze off at the wheel,  with an extremely high likelihood  of causing an auto accident.

The Atlanta car crash attorneys at Katz Personal Injury Lawyers are dedicated to the representation of persons injured in car accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across Georgia.  If you or a loved one have suffered injuries in a car accident, talk to a lawyer at our firm and determine if you have legal options to a claim for damages.   You may be eligible for compensation that includes medical expenses, lost income and other types of damages.  Talk to an attorney at our firm and discuss your case.

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