In a lengthy news story that played over and over this past weekend - the anchors of a national television news show went into some great length about the often overlooked but nevertheless grave dangers of driving drowsy. Many very serious car accidents are caused by sleep deprived drivers.
They began by informing the listener that a large number of Americans fail to get their proper rest - often due to stress and anxiety. This lack of sleep then impacts a person's ability to function the next day in all aspects of their life - including driving.
Statistics show up to 60% of American drivers admits to having 'driven drowsy' at one time or another in their lives - and one-third of these offer that they have actually fallen asleep behind the wheel. Unfortunately there are even more alarming statistics than this.
According to the NHTSA it is a fair estimate that perhaps one hundred thousand car and truck accidents can be traced ro 'drowsy driving' and over fifteen hundred wrongful deaths are the aftermath of this plague.
Additionally, conservative estimates of injuries run to over fifty thousand.
Unfortunately, these numbers are really not much more than speculation as there is no way to actually 'test' for drowsy driving the way one might for intoxicated driving. In addition, it is often the opinion of the attending officer as to whether or not the accident occurred due to driver fatigue - and the training to spot this problem varies in municipalities across the country.
Certainly, the perpetrator of the crash would be disinclined to admit guilt so that avenue for determining accurate data on drowsy driving is all but closed to researchers.
Is the best we can hope for that drivers act responsibly and opt not to get behind the wheel of their car when they are too tired to drive?
Greg Baumgartner is an 18 wheeler accident attorney and the founder of the Baumgartner law firm, which is dedicated to helping personal injury victims seek civil justice. If you would like to speak with a Houston accident attorney call the Baumgartner firm.
