Truck Accidents

The Impact of Truck Driver Fatigue on Accident Rates

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Most of us know the dreaded feeling of fatigue during a long drive. Despite your best efforts, podcasts, and loud music, the hum of the road starts to get to you and your eyelids start feeling heavy. What we only experience occasionally during a long drive is an everyday risk for truck drivers, who regularly drive 10 hours per day. It should come as no surprise, then, that truck drivers are at significant risk of fatigue-related crashes. It’s important that you understand the risk factors of fatigued driving and know how to protect your rights if you are hit by a sleeping driver.

If you or someone you love has been hit by a truck in Biloxi, we’re here to help. Call Reeves & Mestayer at 855-558-2977 to set up a consultation now.

Why Truck Drivers Are at Significant Risk of Fatigue

Truck driver fatigue is such a pervasive problem that the FMCSA has safety tips, documentation, and protocols in place to limit fatigued driving. A number of factors contribute to fatigued driving, many of which affect truck drivers:

  • Long drives
  • Extended work hours
  • Physically or mentally strenuous work
  • Limited breaks
  • Unstable sleep schedule

These are all common parts of a truck driver’s life. They may spend 10 hours behind the wheel before they stop for the night, work far longer hours than standard 9-5 workers do, and deal with the mental strain of long-haul driving. On top of that, they often take limited breaks so they can finish a haul sooner, and the nature of their work means that their sleep may be spotty or low-quality.

How Fatigue Contributes to Accident Risk

It’s estimated that over 300,000 drowsy driving accidents occur every year. Fatigue negatively affects your cognitive and physical abilities in nearly every way. A fatigued driver struggles to maintain their concentration, be aware of hazards, and react quickly to obstacles or traffic buildup. When you combine all of these shortcomings, an accident is inevitable if a person consistently engages in drowsy driving.

Microsleeps are another huge risk for fatigued drivers. Microsleeps are brief periods of sleep that last just a few seconds, and they can be so short that people may not even realize they’ve fallen asleep—they just wake up and wonder where the last few seconds of their drive went. If a microsleep coincides with a car in a driver’s path, causes a driver to drive into the ditch or cross the median, or otherwise puts them in danger’s way, an accident is likely to follow.

Not only does fatigue contribute to accident risk, but the effect it has worsens as time passes. There’s a growing body of research showing that driving after 20 or 24 hours of being awake can be as dangerous as driving while impaired.

Fatigue Can Affect Accident Severity

Microsleeps don’t just cause accidents—they also worsen accident severity. In most crashes, a driver realizes what’s going to happen at the last second and takes action to brake or otherwise mitigate the damage of the crash. A sleeping driver does not have this opportunity, so their crashes often happen at full speed. This leads to more severe injuries and even fatalities.

Efforts to Minimize Fatigued Driving

The FMCSA has taken steps to reduce fatigue among truck drivers. Their hours-of-service regulations are a direct response to accident stats among truck drivers. By limiting the number of hours a driver puts in each day and the number of hours they can work before they take a break, the FMCSA hopes to drive down fatigued driving numbers. Many motor carriers have also taken steps to discourage fatigued driving in their fleet. They may require drivers to take longer breaks between long haul trips, and busy trucks with built-in safety technology to detect drowsy driving and encourage more breaks on long trips.

Hit by a Tired or Sleeping Driver? Call Reeves & Mestayer

A fatigued driving crash can wreak havoc in your life, leaving you with medical bills and a totaled vehicle. The team at Reeves & Mestayer is here to help if you’ve been involved in a truck accident in Biloxi. Call us at 855-558-2977 or reach out online to get started.