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Driver Fatigue

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), fatigue or falling asleep at the wheel is the principal cause of up to 100,000 police-reported passenger vehicle crashes every year.  These results involve deaths of at least 1,500 people and injuries to 71,000.  Contrary to popular, believe, less than 1 percent of all sleep related crashes involve long distance truck drivers.  Truck drivers are prohibited by federal regulation, from driving more than 10 hours in a 24-hour period.  Of course, this is not to say that some do keep two sets of “books”, one with the true mileage and time and one that passes the federal regulation.                 

According to the website edmonds.com, New Jersey passed a law in 2003 stating that a sleep-deprived driver qualifies as a reckless driver who can be convicted of vehicular homicide and serve jail time.  While New Jersey is the exception, the dangers of drive fatigue are receiving much more attention nationwide.  In a recent study, NHTSA showed that 20 percent of crashes and 12 percent of near-crashes were caused by driver fatigue.  The study involved the installation of five cameras in 100 vehicles that were linked to computers that recorded driver action and reaction time.  The drivers were monitored for more than a year and nearly 2 million miles of driving.  Drivers were determined to be drowsy if their eyes closed for longer than a blink or if their heads bobbed, forward and then bolted back upright.  This also included drivers who remained rigid, staring ahead with no reaction to oncoming traffic or awareness of the rearview or side view mirrors.                

While surprisingly the majority of crashes occurred during the day, the severity of the crashes was greater in the evening when speed played a significant role.  Concerning age groups, the 18-20 groups contributed to five times more fatigue-related accidents and near-accidents than any other age group.  This finding is believed to be due to inexperience and irregular sleep habits.  However, sleep fatigue is not a condition that belongs solely to the young and truck drivers.  Anyone and most of us have fallen victim to fatigue mostly due to the lifestyle and the pressure of finances to work long hours and multiple jobs.  Longer commutes due to the lower cost of living in the suburbs also contribute to more fatigue.                

According to a Johns Hopkins Medical Center study published in 2004 by AAA, drivers should be aware of the following warning signs when driving:

  • You cannot remember the last few miles driven.
  • You hit a rumble strip or drift from your lane.
  • You keep pulling your vehicle back into the lane.
  • Your thoughts are wandering and disconnected.
  • You yawn repeatedly.
  • You have difficulty focusing or keeping your eyes open and your head up.
  • You tailgate or miss traffic signs.
  • You have narrowly missed crashing.

While the best thing a driver can do if they feel fatigued is to get off the road completely here are a list of things you can do to help you stay alert behind the wheel.

1. If you have passengers in the car, have them talk to you.  A radio will not keep you up as much as a passenger engaging you in conversation

2. Stop if you feel sleepy.

3. Drink a caffeinated beverage, and since it takes approximately 30 minutes for caffeine to enter the bloodstream use that time to take a quick nap.

4. Make frequent stops, get out of the car and walk around.

5. Make sure you get plenty of sleep the night before, especially on long trips, do not stay up all night the night before or work all night before embarking on a trip.

6.Avoid carbohydrates as much as possible.  They will make you sleepy, instead opt out for proteins.

7.Do not take allergy or cold medicines containing Diphenhydramine, which contributes to drowsiness and never take any type of sleeping pill the night before driving.  

Driver fatigue is a preventable condition and those who disregard the precautions need to take responsibility for their actions.  If you or your loved one has been the victim in an auto accident involving driver fatigue, contact our experienced legal team for a consultation on how you should proceed as soon as possible.

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