Lévis, Québec — In case you weren’t already aware, you are tired and stressed. That’s okay and we love you, but please try and at least pull over before you take a nap, as a new report from Desjardins shows that we aren’t at our best when we’re tired.
At least half of those who took part in the insurer’s survey reported that they were stressed (50 percent) and tired (53 percent) as a result of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
Social isolation and concerns around the pandemic itself were the chief complaints of the respondents who were able to identify their stresses.
These stresses show themselves as a lack of focus on the road, as 40 percent of respondents reported that they had “zoned out” at some point while driving this year and one in 20 drivers admitted to being in a collision because they were absent-minded on the road.
“The problem with fatigued or drowsy driving is people believe they can predict when they will fall asleep, and this creates a false sense of security that they can control it when driving,” said Robyn Robertson, president and CEO of the Traffic Injury Research Foundation.
“The reality is you can’t predict it, much like when you find yourself having fallen asleep while watching TV. The unpredictable nature of drifting off makes you and other road users around you extremely vulnerable to crashing, and the additional stress due to the pandemic compounds the problem.”
TIRF’s full factsheet on distracted driving can be found here.
