Drowsing driving can be as dangerous as drunk driving. Operating a vehicle while fatigued causes countless accidents each year - and you could obtain compensation if you were injured by a drowsy driver.
Many people think that driving when they are overtired is not a big deal. However, new studies show that sleepiness affects drivers in the same way as alcohol, and contributes to just as many accidents. Heeding the signs of drowsiness in yourself can keep you and your family safer.
Nodding off at the wheel
Sleepy drivers are much more common than you might imagine. According to the National Sleep Foundation, 69 percent of drivers told pollsters that they drove drowsy at least once a month in the last year and 37 percent fell asleep at the wheel. Sleepy drivers cause at least 100,000 motor vehicle accidents and 1,550 fatalities each year.
Sleepiness affects driver coord
ination, judgment and reaction time just like alcohol does. Drivers who have not slept for 24 hours function as if their blood alcohol content (BAC) is 0.10 to 0.19. The legal limit is 0.08. People who sleep six to seven hours a night are twice as like to crash as those sleeping eight hours or more. If they sleep less than five hours, they are four to five times more likely to crash.
Drowsy driving accidents usually occur late at night, early in the morning or during the mid-afternoon. Typically, the drowsy driver, alone in the car, drifts off a high-speed road and does not attempt to avoid the crash. High-speed, head-on collisions are common.
If you feel sleepy while you are driving, pull off the road and rest. A 20 minute nap can make the difference between arriving alive and a life-threatening accident. Common symptoms of driving drowsy include:
• Yawning or blinking frequently
• Not remembering the past few miles driven
• Drifting from your lane
• Hitting a rumble strip
• Missing your exit
If you or a loved one was injured in an accident you suspect involved a drowsy driver, consult a knowledgeable auto accident attorney as soon as possible.
