Kentucky truck drivers like you understand the risks you face when you hit the road. You do your best to avoid obvious dangers and behaviors that put yourself and others in harm’s way. This includes driving under the influence and distracted driving.
But did you know that drowsy driving is also a form of distraction? Driving without getting enough sleep can actually cause you and other drivers more damage than you may expect.
Why are drowsy truckers so dangerous?
The Sleep Foundation has plenty of information about drowsy driving and the dangers it poses. In particular, commercial truck drivers create the biggest potential dangers when driving drowsy. For one, you have some of the biggest vehicles on the road. This means you automatically hold an advantage against anyone you come across.
For another, truck drivers suffer from one of the highest rates of drowsy driving of anyone else on the road. Experts speculate this happens for a number of reasons. They include unrealistic deadlines set by your parent company. A toxic industry culture that encourages drowsy driving is common, too.
Do anti-drowsy tricks actually work?
But no one is immune from the effects of driving drowsy. It does not matter how many insider “tips and tricks” you have for staying awake. It does not matter how long you have been driving, or how many times you drove while drowsy before. Drowsy driving automatically results in lowered attention spans and slower reflexes. It also includes the inability to react to dangers around you. Just one slip-up is all it takes for a potentially deadly accident to happen, even if it has never happened to you before.
