Driving to and back from work are rarely seen as highlights of the day. Going to work means leaving the comfort of your bed to engage in an 8-hour work day, and leaving for home can make you impatient since rush hours are minimizing any fun workless hours you have in the day left. These are also some of the times where you could arguably be in the most danger on the road.
Earlier this month, the job site Zippia ranked all 50 states on the safety of their commutes. They deemed Oklahoma to have the third worst commutes in the nation with a fatality rate of nearly 28 deaths per 100,000 drivers. Since you likely have no plans to change your fastest way to work in the near future, you should be aware of common dangers found within daily commutes so you can improve your safety chances.
Drowsy driving
You may have been on your road so many times you feel like you could do it in your sleep. Don’t try that out. Those with longer commutes ranging around 40 minutes to an hour have a higher chance of falling asleep behind the wheel. Even if you have been on this road hundreds of times, you still need to keep your eyes on it. Some try to get up earlier to avoid most of the traffic found on their everyday routes, but they could be putting themselves in more danger if they are not careful. With daylight savings right around the corner, the sleep schedule of many drivers is about to take a turn.
Road rage
Longer commutes can have serious consequences on your mental health if you are not careful. It can increase the risk of depression, anxiety and social isolation. All those negative emotions within you can explode if there is a hold-up from an increase in traffic or an accident on the freeway. Since you have been on the roads around this time of day, you know it should be faster at certain points. Try to remain calm at this time by listening to some music or getting an audio book to play as you go back and forth to your job. It can allow you to focus while taking your mind off of some of the more stressful moments of the situation.
Unfortunately, many let the dangers of their commutes get to them. They harm their physical and mental health at a faster rate and could put other residents on the road at risk from their damaging behavior. If you end up the victim of a drowsy driving or road rage crash, an experienced personal injury attorney can help you seek compensation to aid on your path to recovery.