If you are a truck driver who consistently carries heavy loads of cargo across the country, then you are probably used to working quickly to please your customers. Unfortunately, this may lead to long days, sleepless nights, and accidents. Each year, hundreds of thousands of large trucks are involved in vehicle accidents, and fatigue is one of the 10 main causes of these accidents. A lawyer will be needed if this occurs, and you may have to pay a significant amount of money in damages if a death or injury occurred during the incident. To avoid the monetary hardships that come with such a situation, make sure to prevent accidents caused by fatigue before they occur by getting the rest you need.
Understanding the Symptoms of Fatigue
You may think that fatigue and general drowsiness go hand in hand. This is true, but there are countless other symptoms of fatigue that make it dangerous for you to be on the road. Looking out for these signs can help you to better identify fatigue so you can stop driving. Sore eyes, yawning, frequent blinking, poor reaction to stimuli on the road, and slow changing of gears are signs of fatigue. So are stiff joints, constant daydreaming, and reduced motivation. Your head also may feel heavy and your arms and legs can start to feel weak.
Get the Rest You Need
Time is money when it comes to shipping freight from one area of the country to the other, and this may force you to drive 17 hours or more. However, when you drive for this long, then your driving ability is affected in the same way it is when you consume more than one drink in an hour and have a BAC level of about .05. The longer you are awake, the worse your driving becomes. This means that it is wise to get some sleep after driving for 15 or 16 hours to reduce accident risks.
For optimum concentration and peak performance, make sure to get between seven and a half and nine hours of sleep at night. If you cannot sleep this long, make sure to get at least six hours of sleep. You will, however, feel fatigued if you only sleep six hours a day for an extended period of time. This may create a sleep debt that will lead to exhaustion. You can "catch up on sleep" to some degree by sleeping an extra few hours on the weekend. However, this may lead to an interruption of your normal sleep cycle and it can be almost impossible to make up for all the sleep that is lost throughout the week.
Take a Power Nap
You can also make sure to take small naps during the day if you intend on driving for a long period of time and sleeping less at night. The best nap should be taken in the middle of your driving day to ward off mid-afternoon drowsiness. A 20 to 30 minute nap is best as well. This will allow you to wake up refreshed, because you will pass through the first two stages of sleep. If you sleep longer, then you risk going into the third and fourth stages, which are considered the deep sleep phases. It is incredibly difficult to wake up when you reach the third and fourth phases of sleep, and this can lead to grogginess and lethargy for the remainder of the day.
However, if you have skimped on sleep the night before, then your body may require a full sleep cycle to recharge itself. One full cycle lasts about 90 minutes. It takes about seven minutes on average for you to fall asleep, so set an alarm to go off 97 or 100 minutes after you lie down. Of course, you should make sure that you have access to a dark and relatively quiet space so you can get the rest you need without disruption.
If you do end up in an accident, whether you caused it or not, it's a good idea to work with a trucking accidents lawyer to have the best outcome. Making sure you can't be accused to driving while fatigued will go a long way in helping you battle any charges that may come against you.
