Drowsy Driving May Happen More Often Than You Think

Drowsy driving is a growing concern that may cause many car accidents in the United States. Government estimates suggested that fatigued drivers were involved in two percent of accidents at the most. However, an AAA study found that drowsy driving might be involved in 9.5 percent of all accidents instead. Louisiana residents might like to know more about the hazards of drowsy driving.

If the findings from AAA are correct, drowsy driving would contribute to more car accidents than drunk driving. Like when impaired, a person has dulled reflexes and trouble focusing when driving while fatigued. Unlike drunk driving, there is no test that measures whether a driver was tired. This is one reason why the amount of drowsy driving crashes could be under-reported.

For this study, researchers watched for signs of drowsiness when looking at dash-cam footage from 3,593 drivers. If a driver’s eyes were closed for a significant portion of the minutes before a crash, the driver was deemed drowsy.

The problem of fatigued driving seems to be a universal one as no gender or age group had more crashes than others. However, the time a crash occurred was significant. More than half of all crashes involving fatigue took place when it was dark.

There are many ways to prevent a crash caused by drowsy driving. Drivers may wish to take a break every two hours, and a tired driver could stop for a quick nap or switch places with someone else. Traveling during the day and drinking caffeine at least 30 minutes before a trip can also help reduce fatigue.

When preventable accidents take place, the responsible party or parties might be liable for expenses related to a crash. Drowsy driving and drunk driving are two negligent behaviors that may indicate fault after a crash.