Drowsy Driving Prevention Week: Rest to Prevent Car Accidents

Although it does not receive as much publicity as distracted driving or drunk driving, Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyer Joseph Lipsky want to make sure you are aware that driving while over tired, or drowsy driving, is a dangerous problem which results in too many preventable car accidents annually. In hopes of reducing those crashes caused by sleep deprived drivers, the National Sleep Foundation declared this as National Drowsy Driving Prevention Week.

A review of Florida traffic accident reports shows that over the past year, there were more than 280 thousand car accidents or truck accidents in Florida, that means that about 770 times every day, someone has a car accident on one of our roads, including I-95 and the Florida Turnpike. In fact, there were over 50 thousand car accidents in Miami alone last year. Of those thousands of accidents, the likely that drowsy driving played a role as a driver had slower than needed reaction.

The NHTSA believes that more than 1500 people suffer wrongful deaths and more than 70,000 people are seriously injured in crashes in which drowsy driving played a role. Those most likely involved in driving while sleep deprived include men, under the age of 26 and those working in the medical filed who into the evening. In fact, drivers who work a “night” or “midnight” shift have a 6 times greater risk of causing an accident.

Too often over the past 20 years, we had to help a client overcome the destructive results of a truck driver who continued driving, beyond their statutorily regulated hours, and caused a crash. We remind everyone that if you are overtired, and have to open your car window, or play the radio loudly, in an effort to help you stay awake while driving; make our roadways safer by pulling off the road and taking a nap, before something bad happens.