How Lack of Sleep Impacts Your Driving

Every one of us has sacrificed sleep in order to get work done at one time or another. Whether it be pulling an all nighter studying for an exam or trying to get a project finished, we have all given up sleep to get things accomplished. Did you ever consider how lack of sleep impacts your driving? Studies have shown that after 17 – 19 hours of no sleep that participants performed worse than those with a blood alcohol level of .05 percent. After more than 19 hours of no sleep, the performance became equivalent to a blood alcohol level of .1 percent. In Florida, the DUI limit is a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent. This means that by skipping one day of sleep makes you legally incapable of driving.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, around 100,000 crashes occur annually due to drowsy drivers. Some signs of fatigued driving would be:

Having a hard time focusing on the road
Missing exits or traffic signs
Drifting from lane and hitting the rumble strips

If you find yourself experiencing these symptoms, pull over and rest or change drivers. Just like it’s not worth driving under the influence, it’s not worth driving sleep impaired either. If you have difficulty sleeping, try these simple tips for a better night rest: