Over the years, more people have come to an awareness of the true dangers of drowsy driving. This includes issues like microsleeping which come along with it.
But what is microsleeping? What sort of dangers does it pose to drivers?
How microsleep works
WebMD discusses microsleeping, a problem that affects numerous drivers. It is an automatic response to the body needing to sleep, and it affects any driver no matter how old they are, their gender, or their driving experience.
When experiencing microsleep, a person will usually go unconscious for a period of one to three seconds. They will then wake up but will fall asleep again for another period of one to three seconds shortly after. This continues on until the person is able to get more proper rest.
Methods exist to temporarily wake a person up, but they ultimately do not serve a person in the long term. Every wakefulness tip or trick will eventually hit the end of its usefulness, and a person will go back to experiencing microsleep.
The dangers of microsleep
This is naturally a dangerous phenomenon because it completely removes a person’s ability to react to the dangers around them. In fact, many of the most dangerous accidents that happen, happen due to drivers who fall asleep at the wheel. Common examples include drivers who veer off the side of the road and drivers who drive into oncoming lanes of traffic.
Due to these extreme outcomes, it is important for everyone to understand the true risks of drowsy driving and microsleep.