Drowsy driving, which includes drunk driving, can be extremely dangerous as sleep deprivation can impair hand-eye coordination, alertness, and reaction time.
However, accurately assessing the impact of sleep deprivation on road safety at night is challenging because fatigue is not as easily quantifiable as blood alcohol levels.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, around 1.6% of traffic accident deaths in 2021 (684 fatalities) were attributed to drowsy driving, though it is believed that the actual number could be higher.
Research conducted by the American Automobile Association Traffic Safety Foundation indicates that individuals who sleep between 5 to 6 hours nearly double their risk of being in an accident, while those who sleep between 4 to 5 hours are more than four times as likely to have an accident.
This article addresses the question posed by Lester Herbert via email: “How does a night of insomnia impact my ability to drive?”
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