It’s obvious that drunk driving is illegal for professional truck drivers — along with everyone else — but what about simply not drinking enough water? While that’s not illegal, some experts have found that it makes drivers feel the same way they feel when they are drunk.
Dehydration leads to serious driver errors. This can inhibit their performance, and it can lead to poor judgment calls and accidents.
After a study, researchers said that being dehydrated led to the same “levels of drivers errors” that they saw in people who had a .08 blood alcohol concentration (BAC). You may recognize that as the legal driving limit in Wisconsin, and you’re right for most drivers. However, commercial drivers have a lower legal limit of .04 percent.
What that means is that being severely dehydrated behind the wheel could be the same as a semi driver having a BAC OF twice his or her legal limit. Clearly, the level of risk is incredibly high, and accidents caused by simple mistakes could injure numerous people on the road.
The reason that dehydration is often an issue is that truck drivers get paid by the mile. If they’re stopped for a break, they’re not making money. Stopping for frequent restroom breaks because they’re drinking a lot of water literally means earning less money. Consequently, a lot of drivers purposefully do not drink enough so that they will not have to stop. They focus on deadlines and income more than safety.
If one of these dehydrated drivers causes an accident, those who suffer serious injuries need to know what legal options they have to seek financial compensation.
Source: Fleet Owner, “Truck drivers’ paradox: Not drinking is like drinking,” Larry Kahaner, accessed June 07, 2018
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