Sleep Deprivation Increases the Risk of Car Accidents

New AAA Traffic Safety study reveals that sleep deprivation is as dangerous as drunk driving.

A new study performed by the AAA Traffic Safety Foundation reveals that drivers who don’t get at least 7 hours of sleep per night increase their risk of being involved in a car accident. Moreover, the study also points out that a person who slept less than five hours per night has the same risk of being involved in a car accident comparable to a drunk driver.

Concerned with the increasing number of accidents which took place on the road, the AAA Traffic Safety Foundation has recently funded a new study in the hope of determining the most likely cause. The results of this new study reveal that sleep deprivation can be as dangerous as drunk driving.

The AAA Traffic Safety Foundation discovered that drivers who had less than the seven recommended hours of sleep have the same chances of crashing as drivers who drank before getting behind the wheel.

Furthermore, the study pointed out that drivers who sleep one or two hours less have two times more chances to get involved in a car accident, while drivers who skipped three to four hours of sleep have four times more chances to crash their vehicles.

A survey conducted among drivers reveal that a whopping 97 percent of them believe that getting behind the wheel if you are not rested enough is not okay. However, the same survey revealed that most of the respondents admitted to getting behind the wheel sleepy in the last month.

What are AAA Traffic Safety’s recommendations ? The foundation declared that before getting behind the wheel, drivers should get at least seven hours of sleep in order to function properly on the road. In the event of an emergency (driver’s woken up in the middle of the night and has to reach a location fast), the foundation recommends plenty of fluids, frequent stops, and some uplifting music in the background.

The same foundation which funded the study revealed that, in some instances, sleep deprivation could be more harmful than drunk driving. As a result, they’ve recommended drivers to have a good night’s sleep before hitting the road.

For the purpose of this study, the AAA Traffic Safety Foundation had to review multiple documented car crashes. According to these documents, last year, approximately 7,200 were involved in 4,500 car accidents.

Image source: Pexels

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John Birks

John holds a diploma in journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. He covers the technology, social media, green business, eco-travel, politics, arts culture.