Study Finds Shocking Number of Drivers Fall Asleep Behind Wheel

December 18, 2010

According to a recent study, 41% of drivers admit that they have fallen asleep while driving at some point in their lives. One out of 10 drivers in the study confessed that they had done so within the past 12 months.

The study was conducted by the AAA Foundation and based on information collected during a national telephone survey of 2000 drivers as well as crash data compiled by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) from 1998-2008. Based on this information, the AAA Foundation estimates that one out of every six fatal crashes and one out of every eight serious injury crashes involve a drowsy driver.

Additionally, 85% of drivers polled during the telephone survey said they believed it was unacceptable for people to continue driving if they are having trouble keeping their eyes open - a surprising number given how many of those surveyed admitted to doing just that.

Some of the factors that have been identified as contributing to drowsy driving include:
- Drinking alcohol
- Taking medications that cause sleepiness
- Undiagnosed/untreated sleep disorders
- Driving long hours without adequate breaks
- Driving overnight

NHTSA estimates that as many as 100,000 accidents each year are caused by fatigued drivers, resulting in 1550 deaths, more than 40,000 injuries and $72.5 billion in financial losses. These numbers, however, are likely to be low because there is not a uniform method for collecting information on which crashes are caused by drowsiness. In many cases, the cause of the accident may be attributed to another cause, especially if the driver is not forthcoming and does not admit that he or she was tired or feel asleep at the wheel. Additionally, some states do not list drowsy or fatigued drivers as an official cause of a car or truck accident , making it difficult to compile accurate national data.

Fatigued Truck Drivers Create a Serious Danger on the Road

While any drowsy driver can be a potential danger to others on the road, tired truck drivers arguably present the biggest danger. With some semi-trucks weighing upwards of 80,000 pounds, losing control of one of these vehicles for any reason is likely to have deadly results for anyone who happens to be in the way. In fact, it is estimated that nearly 40% of fatalities and 20% of serious injuries in accidents involving a drowsy truck driver occur to a person in a passenger vehicle.

The NHTSA found that the risk of a drowsiness-related accident is 4.5 times higher for truck drivers than other drivers. There are several reasons for this, including the high number of miles driven by truck drivers each year and the high number of those miles driven at night. The trucking industry also is to blame. Truck drivers are pressured by their employers to deliver their loads on-time or before schedule, which can require them to stay behind the wheel when they should be sleeping. Even though there are federal regulations that limit the number of hours a truck driver can operate a commercial vehicle in any 24 hour period, these regulations are often ignored.

Other Types of Dangerous Driver Behavior

Drowsy driving is just one of the many risky driver behaviors that can lead to a serious motor vehicle crash. Distracted driving, particularly texting while driving and talking on a cell phone while driving, is responsible for taking thousands of lives each year. In 2008, distracted driving accidents resulted in 6000 deaths and more than 500,000 injuries. The NHTSA estimates that distracted drivers are to blame for 80% of all crashes.

Texting while driving has been found to be the most dangerous driving distraction. A 2009 study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that those who text while driving have a 23 times greater risk of being in an accident than non-texting drivers. Comparatively, those who talk on a cell phone have a four times greater risk of being in an accident.

Other studies have found that talking on a cell phone while driving, whether using a hand-held or hands-free device, delays the driver's reaction time as much as driving drunk.

Based on these and other studies, there has been a movement across the country to ban drivers from texting and using cell phones while driving. Currently, 30 states have enacted bans preventing all drivers from texting and eight states prohibit all drivers from using hand-held phones. Mississippi has not passed a hand-held cell phone ban, but the state does ban drivers with a learner's permit or provisional license from texting while driving.

Conclusion

Those who have been injured or lost a loved one in a car accident have legal options available to them, including the right to recover compensation for their losses. Some of the types of compensation that may be available include medical expenses, lost wages, property repair or replacement costs and pain and suffering. A lawyer experienced in handling motor vehicle injury cases can review your claim and explain your legal options. For more information, contact a knowledgeable attorney today.

Article provided by Wood & Carlton PC
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