While drunk driving and distracted driving get all
the attention, drowsy driving is also becoming a major issue and could even be
more dangerous. According to research
conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, more than one in five fatal
crashes involve driver fatigue. Drivers
are educated on the effects of drunk driving and texting while driving, but
rarely ever is drowsy driving discussed.
One reason for this could be because it is difficult to prove that an
accident occurred because the driver fell asleep. There is no blood alcohol to test, no field
sobriety tests to conduct, and no phone records to check.
The
biggest problem with drowsy driving is that if a driver is tired, they will
often power through it, thinking they will be able to stay awake. Driving while fatigued is very dangerous and
significantly impacts driving performance.
Research shows “on average you have to be out for two to four minutes to
realize you were just asleep, whereas it only takes two or three seconds for
something catastrophic to happen if you are asleep at the wheel.” The AAA study found that even people who
sleep six to seven hours a night are twice as likely to be involved in a crash
compared to those who sleep eight or more hours. The real danger zone is when a driver gets
less than five hours of sleep. Officials
at the Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology at the University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine note that driving performance begins to decline beyond 16
hours awake. “When you get to 20 hours
without sleep, you are performing as would somebody with a blood-alcohol limit
[of 0.08 percent, the legal limit for driving under the influence in Maryland].”
The
age group most at risk for drowsy driving is those between 16-25 years
old. Teenagers are often sleep deprived because
they are forced to balance school work, extracurricular activities, and
part-time jobs. Some research shows that
half of all drowsy driving related crashes involve a teenager.
Commercial
drivers, such as tractor trailer drivers, are another at-risk group for
fatigued driving due to long hours and very little time to rest. Sleep deprivation is a leading cause of truck
accidents, and sometimes, it is not only the fault of the driver, but also the
truck company for forcing their drivers to work long hours without any break.
Some
states have passed fatigued-driving laws and some car manufacturers (BMW and
Mercedes Benz) have started including technology in vehicles that detects a
drowsy driver and tells them to stop and take a break. “[Drowsy driving] is an issue that deserves the
same level of attention…as alcohol, speeding and seat-belt use,” says Brian
Tefft of the AAA Foundation.
For
more information on drowsy driving, check out the University of Maryland
Medical Center’s website: http://umm.edu/programs/sleep/patients/drowsy-driving. Interested parties can also visit www.drowsydriving.org for more
information.
If
you or someone you love has been injured in an accident caused by the
negligence of another driver, including truck drivers who have fallen asleep
behind the wheel, please call us today at (301) 854-9000 to set up an appointment
at one of our office locations located throughout Maryland for a free case evaluation
or visit us online: http://www.portnerandshure.com/Auto-Accidents/Truck-Accidents/
No comments:
Post a Comment