It may not be making the national headlines like distracted driving, but it should. Drowsy drivers are unable to exercise good judgment. They are also not able to react as quickly as they ought to while driving. And more people are driving when they are fatigued. As a result, drowsy driving is quickly becoming one of the leading causes of fatal car accidents in the US.
The dangers of driving while drowsy
Drowsy drivers are responsible for more than 328,000 car accidents each year. This figure includes over 109,000 incidents in which people have been injured. There are also over 6,400 accidents in which at least one person involved in the accident was fatally injured. In fact, drowsy driving has been shown to be responsible for one in every five fatal accidents that occur nationwide annually.
Many innocent motorists are exposed to deadly situations as a result of drivers who are driving despite their fatigue. Often, the person who is killed in the accident is not the drowsy driver.
The problem with drowsy driving
If you don’t get enough sleep and get behind the wheel, you are engaging in drowsy driving. It is recommended that motorists sleep at least seven hours within 24 hours to reduce the risks of engaging in drowsy driving. If a motorist sleeps for six hours or less, the likelihood of putting himself and other motorists in danger of a crash increases 1.9 times. Drivers who only sleep for five hours or less are considered to be at the same level of risk of collision as a drunk driver.
Despite this information, drowsy driving is on the increase. It is quickly becoming one of the leading causes of fatal crashes in the country. This may be because the American lifestyle results in many people burning the candle at both ends and not getting enough sleep. The risk is exacerbated because there is no objective test to accurately test for drowsiness and many people believe they can just “power through”. While it is a challenge for victims and authorities to show that the driver was fatigued at the time of the accident, technology makes it easier and an accident reconstruction expert can demonstrate the driver’s negligent action or inaction.
Unfortunately, because there is no simple and accurate way to measure drowsiness in drivers (like a blood-alcohol level test for drunk driving), incidents involving drowsy drivers are likely to be significantly underreported.
Holding a drowsy driver accountable
If a driver is found to have been drowsy while driving, he or she can be held liable for the collision and the damages resulting from it.
Victims of accidents however, have to prove that the at-fault driver was drowsy at the time the accident occurred. This can be difficult. It is therefore important for victims to work with expert lawyers and reconstruction specialists to gather evidence and explain the circumstances of the crash.
