Research shows that some groups face a greater likelihood of drowsy driving accidents than others. Some of the groups at greatest risk include:
* Adults between 19 and 29 years of age hold a full 71% of the risk for having a drowsy driving accident;
* Men have a 56% risk of a driver fatigue crash, while women only have a 45% chance;
* Men have a risk of actually falling asleep at the wheel that is twice as high as women’s risk;
* Shift workers have a much higher risk than other workers because of the disruption to their natural sleep cycles;
* Adults with children in the household have a greater risk for driver fatigue (and probably other types of fatigue as well) than childless adults;
* Drivers on the road between midnight and 2 a.m., 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. experience a greater frequency of driver fatigues crashes;
* Driving for extended periods without taking breaks increases your risk of drowsy driving wrecks;
* The risks of a drowsy driving accident increase sharply according to how much sleep you lose;
* Use of sedatives vastly increases your risks of drowsy driving accidents;
* Alcohol also increases your chances of having a driver fatigue crash;
* People who have sleep disorders such as narcolepsy, insomnia and sleep apnea have greater risks of a driver fatigue crash; and
* Commercial drivers, particularly long haul truckers, experience greater risks of drowsy driving accidents.
For several reasons, the injuries resulting from driver fatigue crashes can be much more severe than those resulting from crashes where drivers remain awake and alert. Many drowsy drivers become fatal single vehicle accidents. Don’t take chances with your life or your health. Stay awake and stay alive.
Many Texas roads are long, flat and monotonous. And it seems particularly true that everything is bigger in Texas when you must drive the vast distances between some of our major cities. In the Northeast, you could drive across several entire states in the time it takes you to go from one major Texas metropolis to another.
So you may not be able to avoid all the fatigued Texas drivers out there. If you’re injured in a drowsy driving accident, Denena Points, PC’ Board Certified Coastal Bend, TX personal injury lawyers have the knowledge and experience you’ll need on your side. We could help you successfully recover the financial compensation you need after you’ve been seriously injured because of a drowsy driver.