Drinking and driving is a situation that many motorists make the fatal mistake of trying each year. Even though many motorists know about the potential consequences of drinking and driving, driving while tired has been proven to be equally as dangerous. Nevertheless, there’s still an estimated 100,000 crashes every year in the United States due to driver fatigue. There are 1500 casualties each year in the United States that occur as a result of people driving drowsy.
The CDC and the dangers of driver fatigue:
Driver fatigue often occurs when motorists do not get quality sleep. The CDC estimates that driver fatigue is just as dangerous as drunk driving and it occurs regularly when people don’t get adequate sleep over multiple days, they work long shifts, they stay awake for too many hours or they simply drive too long.
Driving a car after staying awake for more than 17 hours is the same as operating a vehicle under a blood-alcohol content of .05%. If you’ve been awake for over a day that’s like operating a vehicle under a .1% with the highest legal BAC limit being .08%.
Recognizing driver fatigue:
it’s likely that you could be fatigued if you start missing exits, experiencing delayed reactions, you’re yawning frequently or blinking frequently, drifting from your Lane, experiencing cloudy thoughts or you are having confused speech. It’s always best to pull over and collect yourself or take a break if you’re experiencing fatigue as it is not uncommon for these symptoms to turn into you falling asleep behind the wheel.
If you’ve been involved in an accident with a driver that was driving while fatigued, you could seek access to compensation for damages in the lost wages, pain and suffering, loss of quality of life, medical expenses, earning capacity and more. Contact us today if you need compensation for a Florida drowsy driving accident.
This post was written by Kelly-Ann Jenkins of Jenkins Law P.L. Kelly-Ann is an insurance claims attorney. The information on this site is not intended to and does not offer legal advice, legal recommendations or legal representation on any matter. Hiring an attorney is an important decision, which should not be based on advertising. You need to consult an attorney for legal advice regarding your individual situation.
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