The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates
that about 100,000 police-reported car accidents each year are caused by driver
fatigue. This results in an estimated 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries, and $12.5
billion in monetary losses.
Drowsy driving is a common issue and can be more risky than
you think. In fact, according to the National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep in
America poll, 60% of adult drivers (about 168 million people) say they have
driven a vehicle feeling drowsy in the past year, and more than one-third (37%
or 103 million people), have actually fallen asleep at the wheel. These numbers
have prompted the fact that fatigued-driving is one of the National
Transportation Safety Board’s problems to address in their 2016 Most Wanted List
of transportation safety improvements. This list focuses on 10 broad safety
improvements on which the NTSB has made recommendation that have not yet been
implemented.
Fatigue driving is very problematic because you are
endangering not only yourself, but also others on the road. Drivers should be
awake and alert to be their best selves when driving. Drowsiness is impaired
driving. It impairs your judgment and decision making, slows reaction times,
and creates a loss of situational awareness and control.
Additionally, undiagnosed and untreated medical conditions
have caused or contributed to accidents. Even diagnosed sleep disorders that
require medication have side effects that also lead to driving issues. Whether
these drugs are recreational or over-the-counter, they can impair drivers.
Young drivers, shift workers (including truck drivers), and
drivers with sleep disorders are the ones most at risk of a fatigue-related car
accident, according to the Transportation Accident Commission. Research has
also shown that a person who has been awake for 17 hours faces the same risk of
a crash as a person who has a BAC reading of 0.05. They are therefore twice as
likely to have an accident when compared to a person with zero blood alcohol
content and is not fatigued. And drivers who have been awake for 24 hours may
have a driving performance similar to a person who has a BAC of 0.1. In this
case they are seven times more likely to have an accident. It’s not only drugs
and alcohol that impairs your driving. Anything that causes you to lose
awareness and focus is impairment. Just as you shouldn’t drive drunk, you
should not drive drowsy.
If
you or someone you know has been involved in a car crash or truck accident in
Detroit, Grand Rapids, Warren, Sterling Heights, Lansing, Flint, Ann Arbor,
Livonia, Dearborn, Canton, Westland, Troy, Farmington Hills, Southfield,
Waterford or any other city in Michigan, make sure to contact Motor City
Accident Attorneys by calling 1-800-411-PAIN. Motor City Accident Attorneys
know how stressful a car accident can be and want to help you get back on your
feet. They will fight tirelessly for your rights and help you get the
compensation you deserve, according to your specific case. Make sure to follow
Motor City Accident Attorneys on Twitter (@MCAccidentAtty) and Facebook. Join
the conversation by using #MCAA.
