According to a new AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study, 41% of drivers who were surveyed have admitted to nodding off or falling asleep at the wheel. 11% said such instances of drowsy driving occurred to them last year. The AAA study says that drowsy driving is a factor in 16.5 % ( that's one in six collisions) of the deadly US motor vehicle crashes occur. 2,000 US residents that are old enough to drive were surveyed over the phone for the study. Among the findings:
• Men and teens are the groups most likely to fall asleep while driving.
• When a traffic crash was involved, men were 61% more likely than women to have been drowsy driving at the time.
• Young drivers (ages 16 to 24) were 78% more likely than middle-aged drivers to feel drowsy right before an auto accident.
• In more than 50% of drowsy driving crashes, the driver ended up going off the road or drifting into other lanes.
Our Anaheim car accident lawyers are familiar with the catastrophic consequences that can result from drowsy driving. Although the drowsy driver likely never intended to cause your Orange County, California personal injuries you still may have grounds for a case.
One reason that drowsy driving is so dangerous is that drivers don't realize that sleep deprivation and fatigue can turn a motorist into a dangerous driver. Driving while sleepy can impair the vision, fog the mind, negatively affect reaction time, impair judgment, and slow down a motorist's ability to process information. A drowsy driver may not even realize he/she has fallen asleep--even if just for a few seconds. That said, it takes just a few seconds for a tragic car crash to happen.
Symptoms of a drowsy driver:
• Heavy eyelids
• The need to blink often
• Problems focusing
• Difficulties focusing your attention on the task at hand
• Lane drifting
• Sudden swerving
• Driving over rumble strips
• Short-term memory lapses
• Missing traffic signs or exits
• Constant yawning
This week is Drowsy Driving Prevention Week. If you are feeling drowsy you should stop driving.
Study shows drowsy drivers behind the wheel, Los Angeles Times, November 7, 2010
Drowsy driving crashes prevalent, but preventable, University of Michigan Health System, November 8, 2010
Be Aware: Drowsy Driving Prevention Week 2010, Sleep Foundation/PR Web, November 5, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Drowsy Driving Prevention Resource Center, National Sleep Foundation
Contact our Los Angeles car accident law firm so we can help you explore your legal options.
