The Risk of Car Accidents for Night-Shift Workers

Posted by Dan Zohar on November 30th, 2021

People have been working the \"graveyard shift,\" also known as the night shift, or having a night job, since the twenty-first century. This covers late night, overnight and early dawn jobs. These employees may be found everywhere, from the Uber driver who picked you up at 3 a.m. on King Street, to the Amazon truck driver who delivered your overnight delivery, to the paramedics on call, ready to respond to an emergency.

Working late at night, however, has its drawbacks. People who work the late-night graveyard shift can acquire a problem that makes them nearly three times more likely to be involved in an automobile accident, according to a study done by the University of Missouri. Shift work sleep disorders will be the name for this condition or SWSD. People who work overnight, early in the morning, or on rotating shifts are more likely to develop this SWSD.

Sleep apnea and insomnia are the side effects of SWSD when a person works through the night and sleeps throughout the day for an extended length of time. Sleep apnea is a sleep condition in which a person\'s breathing becomes erratic, disrupting their sleep. Insomnia is a condition in which a person has difficulty sleeping and/or staying asleep. Shift workers with sleep apnea and insomnia were shown to be more likely to be involved in an automobile accident or near-crash situation.

Drowsy Drivers and Shift Work Sleep Disorders or SWSD

Due to the interruption of a natural sleep schedule, SWSD increases the risk of drowsiness-related motor vehicle collisions. Due to a lack of sleep, a sleepy driver has a delayed response time, impaired coordination, and a reduced ability to pay attention. Drowsy driving is most common between the hours of 12 a.m. and 6 a.m., or in the late afternoon, when most individuals are naturally tired.

How to Reduce the Chances of Drunk Driving

Simply said, getting adequate sleep is the most efficient method to minimize sleepy driving incidents. If sleeping before work isn\'t an option, consider sleeping before returning home after a late-night shift. Furthermore, the majority of licensed drivers will drive when sleepy at some moments in their lives. When a person grows sleepy, their ability to drive is harmed, and the likelihood of an accident increases.

How a Drowsy Driving Accident Lawyer Can Help

If you have been hurt by a sleepy driver, regardless of whether you have a sleep condition, you may be eligible for compensation through the drowsy driver\'s liability insurance or other kinds of coverage, including but not limited to your own uninsured / underinsured motorist policy.

Drivers, in my experience, do not acknowledge to being fatigued while driving at first. As a personal injury lawyer, I\'ll need to conduct an investigation into the case, which will include reviewing evidence, including police reports, medical records, work records, accident site evidence, and eyewitness testimonies. This information will enable me to show that the driver\'s condition led him or her to act carelessly or dangerously.

Please do not hesitate to contact a respectable law firm if you have been in a car, truck, or motorcycle accident with a suspected sleepy driver and need an aggressive, experienced, and a skilled car accident lawyer on your side.