Drowsy Driving is the potentially fatal combination of driving while sleepy or fatigued. This may be due to lack of sleep, a sleep disorder, side effects from medication, or alcohol consumption. If a person gets behind the wheel while drowsy, they may be less observant the roadway, have slower reaction times, or have a decreased ability to make good driving judgments.
Drowsy Driving Awareness Week (November 5-12, 2017) is a campaign designed to save lives by reducing the number of fatigue-related crashes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drowsy driving caused an estimated 72,000 crashes and 44,000 injuries in 2013. It also claimed 846 lives in 2014.
Although sleepiness can occur at any time of the day, approximately 48% of drowsy drivers fall asleep behind the wheel between 12am and 6am, due to a dip in the internal body clock that regulates sleep. Many drowsy driving accidents involve single-occupant vehicles running off rural roads and highways.
There are some precautions you can take to prevent drowsy driving collisions:
If you, or someone you know, has been injured in a vehicle collision due to drowsy driving and needs help with their personal injury case, contact The Atlanta Personal Injury Law Group – Gore by calling (404) 436-1529 or emailing us at info@atlinjurylawgroup.com.