When it comes to drowsy driving accidents, truckers are often most associated with it due to their long hours operating on the road. However, there are numerous jobs out there that present high risks of workers falling asleep behind the wheel. These types of positions operate at odd hours and go well beyond the average 40 hours per week.
Recently, insurance comparison shopping website Insurify ranked the top ten occupations with the worst drivers. They made the ranking by accounting for how many people out of 1.4 million car insurance shoppers had a driving incident on their record for the past seven years. While some of these positions may require travel, there is not one job focused solely on driving such as truckers or cab drivers on this list. It is essential to know the risks these drivers could present to you on the road after their shift is done.
Bartending
Bartending took third place on the list as 39 percent of them have had a driving incident in the past. The restaurant industry can be physically demanding and have hectic schedules for their workers. Bartenders not only have to deal with intoxicated customers at high pressure work environments for 10-12 hours, but they also work very late shifts at night and go home between midnight to 4:30 a.m.
When it is time for the bar to close, exhausted bartenders have to worry about more than just trying not to sleep while heading back to their place. Late bar goers also begin to head home as well, leaving bartenders to potentially deal with both drowsy and drunk drivers.
Production crew
Placing second on the list are production crew members. People behind the cameras and sets for your favorite television programs and sports broadcasts in Denver often have to deal with difficult and inconsistent hours in their scheduling. If a basketball game goes into overtime or a director of a show or commercial is not satisfied with a shot, then the majority of the crew has to stay behind to get the job done.
Nearly 40 percent of production crew members have been in a motor vehicle accident in the last seven years. The long, late hours present a large driving risk to these workers, but many of them are afraid to speak out against it because they are afraid of losing their jobs.
Fitness club management
Topping off Insurify’s list was a niche occupation. Even though there are only under 20,000 fitness club managers in the United States, nearly 45 percent of them were involved in a driving accident in the last seven years.
These workers have a lot to balance during the day such as directing staff members, maintaining equipment, creating work schedules, tracking the budget and providing customer service. A manager of a health club is considered to be the next step for many after working as a personal trainer, who already have to deal with potentially 15 hour work days. Regardless of when the manager leaves the gym, the physical and mental exhaustion from the task can result in dangerous driving conditions.
Many workers who have to deal with late and long work shifts fail to adjust their sleep schedule and put others at risk with their drowsy driving. If you were hit by a sleep-deprived driver, you can find them liable for the crash and get the compensation you need to help pay for any vehicle damage and injuries you received from the accident.