When you get out on the road, you hope that you and your family will be safe. You prepare for inclement weather, maintain your vehicle, and make sure everyone wears their seat belts. Unfortunately, you cannot control everything that happens on the road. Therefore, this is what you should know about driver fatigue in yourself and others.

What Is Driver Fatigue?

Now that you found the new RAM, Jeep, Chrysler, commercial trucks, Dodge for sale that you have always wanted, you may want to take the family on a road trip. This type of fatigue is similar to drinking and driving. It causes drivers to feel tired or loopy. This drowsiness is dangerous.

How Can Driver Fatigue Impact Your Driving?

Unfortunately, driver fatigue makes it dangerous to drive. You can fall asleep at the wheel, drift in and out of your lane, get tunnel vision, experience slowed reaction times, and make bad decisions. You may also fall asleep for brief periods, such as 30 seconds, called microsleeps.

You could even forget how long you drove or the last few miles of your drive. You can miss things on the side of the road, such as pedestrians or cyclists, and misjudge the distance between you and other drivers.

What Are the Causes of Driver Fatigue?

Driver fatigue occurs when you don’t get enough sleep or your sleep isn’t high-quality. It can result from driving for too long or during times of the day when you normally sleep. Fatigue can also result from certain medications.

Who Is at Risk of Driver Fatigue?

People who drive for a living often experience fatigue, especially when they drive on highways or rural roads and during evening or night hours. Working long hours and shiftwork, as well as long commutes to and from work, can increase driver fatigue risk. Also, those who consume alcohol or take medications or those with sleep disorders can experience driver fatigue.

What Are the Warning Signs?

To encourage fatigue prevention, you should understand the warning signs and symptoms. First, pay attention to your eyes. Are they burning or heavy? Can you focus, or do you feel like you have to blink frequently? Be aware of back tension and muscle twitching. Are you yawning? You may also start daydreaming or feel disconnected. Your thoughts may wander and you may not remember the last few miles.

Pay attention to your limbs and breathing. Heavy, numb, or tingly limbs and shallow breathing suggest fatigue. Also, you may drift across lanes, miss your exit or turns, or hit the rumble strip.

How To Combat Driver Fatigue

You can do a few things to combat driver fatigue. First, use your crash-avoidance technologies, such as lane departure warnings or drowsiness alerts. You should also make sure that you get enough good sleep during the night. Pay attention to the labels on your medications, particularly the side effects. Plan your trip and your time off for rest.

Drive Safely

Driver fatigue is not a joke. To keep yourself and your family safe, remain alert and fresh when you get on the road. Pay attention to the drivers around you as well as your own mind and body.