Personal Injury Law

Drowsy Driving: You snooze you lose

By LaBovick Law

On September 6, 2008, eight year-old Ronshay Dugan was riding in the back of a Boys and Girls Club bus when the drowsy driver of a cement truck slammed into the bus. Ronshay later died of head trauma.

Though it may have seemed like too little, too late to those who loved Ronshay Dugan, Florida state representative Alan Williams created and helped pass the Ronshay Dugan Act in 2010, which includes an annual Drowsy Driving Prevention Week at the beginning of September. Nicknamed the 'You Snooze, You Lose' campaign, Florida aims to raise awareness of the dangers associated with drowsy driving.

Drowsy Driving Statistics

• Close to a third of American drivers admit that they have nodded off behind the wheel, while more than half of drivers confessed to driving sleepy.  (NHTSA)
• Driving Drowsy results in at least 100,000 crashes every year (NHTSA)
• There are appx. 1,500 deaths and 71,000 injuries as a result of driving drowsy. (NHTSA)
• 62% of surveyed American adults (72% of men and 54% of women) reported driving while feeling drowsy.
• 37% of surveyed American adults (49% of men and 26% of women) said they have dozed off while driving at least once.
• 27% of surveyed American adults (36% of men and 20% of women) said they have dozed off while driving in the past year.

The Florida Department of Transportation website highlights a few groups of drivers who are the most at risk for driving drowsy:

• Young drivers between the ages of 16 and 29, especially males. (It is estimated that drivers under the age of 25 cause over half of crashes involving drowsiness.)
• Third-shift workers, or others who work long shifts or irregular hours.
• Jet-lagged business travelers.
• Commercial drivers and long-haul truckers.
• In  heavy truck crashes, drowsy driving plays a role about 15% of the time.

Solve the Problem of Drowsy Driving

Reconsider your options before getting behind a wheel:

• Ask a Friend for a ride or Call a Cab.
• If you're arriving home from a business trip and feel too exhausted to drive, call a cab or take the bus, and pick your car up from the airport the next day.
• If you are a late-night worker, consider taking public transportation to and from work.

Think about your sleep schedule. Americans tend to be sleep-deprived. As a culture, we tend to prioritize getting the job done over our health and our sleep. The result is highways filled with drivers who did not sleep much the night before.

Schedule breaks

For commercial drivers or others on a long road trip, take a break every few hours. A few minutes' break or even a power nap can greatly help your alertness.

If you are still tempted to drive drowsy, just remember all of the lives that you are putting at risk. Remember little Ronshay Dugan, he would be here today, if the driver behind the wheel would have not been driving drowsy.
 

Full post as published by LaBovick Injury Law Blog on September 16, 2010 (boomark / email).