Daily Talker: Is 'Tired Driving' A Crime?

A bill being proposed in Maine is drawing a lot of attention today.

Lawmakers are trying to get overtired drivers off the road and it could soon be against the law to drive if you're too tired.

The bill would prevent those who have been up for over 24 hours from getting behind the wheel.

While many understand why someone shouldn't drive when they are tired, there are questions as to how to prove it and enforce it.

"They would have to be able to prove, from work records, that they had been working a 24 hour shift, picked up an extra shift, and weren't given a chance for a nap, hadn't taken a nap in their car," Rep. Stacey Guerin (r), Glenburn, said.

According to the AAA Foundation, a driver who has had six to seven hours of sleep the night before is twice as likely to be involved in a crash than someone with eight hours of sleep. Someone driving on four or five hours of sleep increases the risk of a crash by up to five times.

Do you think fatigued driving should be treated the same as drunk driving?

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