What effect does sleeping less than five hours have on crash risk?

What effect does sleeping less than five hours have on crash risk?

• A. Less than 5 hours sleep increases crash risk
• B. More than 9 hours sleep increases crash risk
• C. Sleep duration has no effect on crash risk
• D. Sleep only matters when driving at night

Answer: (A)

Not getting enough sleep hurts your ability to drive safely. When you sleep less than five hours, your alertness drops, reaction times slow, attention wanders, and judgment can be impaired. You’re also more likely to experience microsleeps—brief, uncontrollable lapses into sleep—that can happen in the middle of a driving task. Because driving depends on staying awake, monitoring the road, and responding quickly to hazards, this level of sleep loss significantly raises the chance of a crash. Sleep duration affects safety whether you’re driving day or night, and extreme oversleep isn’t the risk factor highlighted here. So the statement that less than five hours of sleep increases crash risk best captures the effect.

Not getting enough sleep hurts your ability to drive safely. When you sleep less than five hours, your alertness drops, reaction times slow, attention wanders, and judgment can be impaired. You’re also more likely to experience microsleeps—brief, uncontrollable lapses into sleep—that can happen in the middle of a driving task. Because driving depends on staying awake, monitoring the road, and responding quickly to hazards, this level of sleep loss significantly raises the chance of a crash. Sleep duration affects safety whether you’re driving day or night, and extreme oversleep isn’t the risk factor highlighted here. So the statement that less than five hours of sleep increases crash risk best captures the effect.