All Georgia drivers deserve to travel on safe, risk-free roads. Unfortunately, some professional truckers do not always bring an adequate level of concern for safety to the job.
In addition, the trucking industry sometimes normalizes certain roadway dangers, including drowsy driving. The issues that stem from it can create hazards for many drivers on the road, including you.
How does drowsiness affect driving?
There are many risks associated with drowsy driving. Drowsiness can impact truckers in a way similar to being under the influence of alcohol. It affects reflexes, attention span and ability to react to dangers.
Because of this, drowsy driving results in an estimated 16.5 percent of deadly traffic accidents a year. Approximately 12.5 percent of severe crashes happen due to drowsy driving.
Why are drowsy truckers a danger?
Truckers pose a greater risk to other drivers when drowsy. This is due to the sheer size and weight of their vehicles. When they are involved in a crash, other drivers suffer for it. In fact, it’s estimated that for each truck-driver fatality, another three to four people are killed.
Driving drowsy gets normalized in many parts of the trucking industry. Speed is often valued over safety. In a study of 80 truckers in Canada and the United States, drivers got less than 5 hours of sleep a night on average.
Georgia state regulations say truckers can only drive a maximum of 12 hours if they have not been on duty for more than 16. They also cannot drive after being on duty for 70 hours over 7 days in a row.
Unfortunately, when truckers forget how risky drowsy driving is, other drivers are placed at risk.
