Why in Chile is it punishable to drive while intoxicated, but is it allowed to do so while fatigued?

Let’s start with a fact that few know, but which is shocking: a person who passes a day without sleep performs behind the wheel like someone who has 0.10% alcohol in the blood, equivalent to four glasses of wine or several shops.

Under this premise, both states are equally dangerous when driving, since they can cause an accident with fatal consequences. This is confirmed by a study published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. Despite the above, and as incongruous as it may seem, our current legislation allows it

More than once we have heard the saying “if you drink, don’t drive”, but have you been recommended if you’re sleepy, don’t get behind the wheel? In fact, drowsiness decreases attention span, favors mistakes when executing maneuvers and forces one to take more risks, and this is evidenced by the number of people killed by truck accidents, these being about 156 people.

This means that the absence of prolonged sleep limits the levels of alcohol concentration in the blood, which is why it is so important to sleep the corresponding hours, since during this time our body will prepare itself to face the day that is to come with energy. and also the brain performs a maintenance task, which works to eliminate some waste that accumulates in our body.

A solution so that this type of accident does not occur is delivered by the startup ITAAwho developed an application called SOMNI, which allows to measure human fatigue with a test, through the use of Artificial Intelligence, informing through alerts to WhatsApp or emailnot only if workers are able to perform specific tasks that require high concentration, but also when they will have their lower level of vigilance and what actions to take, such as take active breaks, drink a coffee or simply sleep for half an hour.

“The consequences of driving with high levels of fatigue from not having slept for 24 hours can range from increasingly constant blinking and involuntary sleep lapses, to loss of vehicle control and a potential accidentwhich can result in the death of both the driver and third parties”, explains Nicolás Sosa, CEO of ITAA.

A person who spends a day without sleep performs behind the wheel as someone who has 0.10% alcohol in their blood, which is equivalent to four glasses of wine or several shops of beer. “This data is very important, because if the legislation penalizes and prohibits driving while intoxicated, then it should also do so for those who do so while fatigued,” adds the expert.

While it is true that drivers must drive for long hours and in sub-optimal conditions, the best recommendation is to rest along the way, drink coffee or water and today, thanks to technological advances, these needs can be known only with a notification. .

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