New York Drowsy Driving Accident Attorney
Drowsy driving is just as dangerous as driving drunk, even if we do not think about it as much. Falling asleep at the wheel is a leading cause of serious car accidents both in New York and across the country. Nationally, around 15% of all traffic fatalities are caused by drowsy driving, as are around 10% of all traffic crashes. Driving drowsy is avoidable: Drivers can get more sleep at night or pull over and take a 20-30 minute nap if they are dozing off. If they fail to do so and they cause an accident, then they must compensate anyone injured for the harm they have caused. After a drowsy driving car crash in the Hudson Valley, contact the seasoned and effective drowsy driving victim accident attorneys at the Law Office of Taran M. Provost, PLLC for a free consultation on your case.
The Dangers of Driving Drowsy
Drivers who are overly tired suffer from slowed reaction times, impaired judgment and vision, a decline in attention, trouble focusing, decreased alertness, increased moodiness and aggressive behavior (e.g. passing inappropriately and unsafely), daydreaming and wandering thoughts, as well as difficulties in processing information and retaining short term memories. Any one of these symptoms significantly impairs a person’s ability to drive safely. Drowsy drivers are known to drift into other lanes or off the road as they doze, leading to single-car and head-on collisions, and they are likely to fail to notice when cars suddenly stop in front of them, leading to high-speed rear-end collisions.
In fact, according to the New York Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, a driver who has been awake for 17 continuous hours has the cognitive function of a person with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.05%, high enough to be considered buzzed.
Falling Asleep at the Wheel is Dangerous and Common
The numbers on drowsy driving across the country are, in a word, alarming. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), an estimated 1 in 25 adult drivers admits to having fallen asleep at the wheel in the previous 30 days. Not in their lifetime; in the past month. Fifty-one percent of adults admit to having driven while drowsy generally, and more than one in six report to having fallen asleep at the wheel at some point over the past year. The CDC estimates that up to 6,000 traffic fatalities every year are caused by drowsy driving.
Who Is Driving Drowsy?
According to the CDC, the drivers most at risk for drowsy driving crashes are the following:
- Drivers who do not get enough sleep (generally, under 7 hours).
- Commercial drivers of vehicles such as tow trucks, tractor-trailers, and buses
- Shift workers who work the night shift or overly long shifts
- Drivers who take medications that make them sleepy
- Drivers with untreated sleep disorders such as sleep apnea (starting and stopping of breathing while asleep)
- Young drivers. Drivers aged 16 to 24 are nearly twice as likely as drivers aged 40-59 to be involved in a drowsy driving accident.
Drowsy driving accidents are more likely to occur at the times when many people feel the most fatigued, which are the hours between 1 pm and 4 pm and between 2 am and 6 am.
Recovery After a Drowsy Driving Accident
If you or a loved one has been injured by a drowsy driving accident, you deserve compensation for your harm. Whether it is a night shift worker who should have taken a short nap before driving, a trucker whose employer forced them to work overtime shifts without a break, or a person who popped some nighttime allergy pills before jumping on the road, the appropriate parties must be held responsible for harming you and your family. Drowsy driving kills, just like drunk driving, and perpetrators must compensate their victims. A dedicated traffic accident lawyer can help.
Help After Drowsy Driving Accidents in Poughkeepsie and Montgomery
For seasoned, effective, and trial-ready legal help for drowsy driving accident victims in New York, contact the offices of the Law Office of Taran M. Provost, PLLC for a free consultation on your case at 845-675-3243.
