One of the scariest moments you face as a driver is that millisecond you feel yourself start falling asleep while driving. It’s terrifying. Your sleepiness could be the result of sleep deprivation, which is getting less than 6 hours of sleep at night.
Did You Know: Being awake for 18 hours affects your cognition the same as having a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08%, which is legally drunk?
Another terrifying moment Florida drivers can face is being being in a truck accident with a commercial vehicle because its driver is too drowsy to drive. Loaded semi trucks can weigh upwards of 80 tons, and their impact is enormous, causing extensive damage to regular cars and trucks.
Drowsy driving can be caused by several factors, some of which include:
- Sleep deprivation, common for commercial drivers trying to meet stringent delivery deadlines
- Driving late at night, another common practice in the trucking industry
- Driving many miles in one sitting, standard for professional drivers
- Sleep apnea and other sleep disorders
Did You Know: 28% of professional truck drivers suffer from sleep apnea.
Any of these issues can affect drivers of commercial vehicles. A recent article in the Chicago Tribune states that sleep apnea plagues 28% of professional truck drivers. That same number applies to the general public but is particularly concerning in the trucking industry, where a momentary lapse in cognition can have disastrous effects.
There are laws which require truck drivers to follow strict setup rules to keep our roadways safe, but it’s up to trucking companies and individual drivers to adhere to these laws. A report by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration estimated that 500,000 trucking accidents occur every year, and over one million people suffer serious personal injuries due to truck collisions.
The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) reports that an estimated 1 in 25 adult drivers (18 years or older) report having fallen asleep while driving in the previous 30 days while The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that drowsy driving was responsible for 72,000 crashes, 44,000 injuries, and 800 deaths in 2013. With numbers this high, it’s easy to see why reducing fatigue-related accidents is on the National Transportation Board’s 2016 Most Wanted List.
If you or a loved one find yourself the victim of a drowsy driving truck accident, contact Badgley Law Group today. Jeff Badgley is a board certified civil trial attorney. That means he’s willing and able to go to court instead of settling when an insurance company’s settlement offer is lower than the value of your case. When you’re researching attorneys, be sure to choose an attorney who can effectively present your case to a judge and jury.
Choose a board certified trial attorney.
Badgley’s expertise in trucking accident lawsuits is extensive as he previously represented large trucking companies. Now a staunch advocate for people who have been injured in truck accidents, his knowledge of these cases is instrumental in providing the best possible financial outcome for victims.