In Pennsylvania, many people are injured or even killed by drivers who are driving while they are tired. Drowsy driving is a serious problem, and the prevalence of it is shocking.
In a 2015 AAA survey, 43 percent of the drivers who responded admitted that they had fallen asleep while behind the wheel at least one time. Nearly 40 percent of drivers between the ages of 19 and 24 reported they had driven at least once in the previous month while having difficulty staying awake. Overall, 31.5 percent of drivers from all age groups reported the same thing.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 5,000 to 7,000 people die each year due to drowsy driving. When the National Transportation Safety Board reviewed data from major highway crashes they investigated between 2001 and 2012, it found that fatigued driving factored into 39.5 percent of the accidents. In 2010, a study completed by AAA found that one out of every six traffic fatalities resulted from an accident involving a drowsy driver.
Drivers who are tired and having trouble staying awakeowe a duty to others to pull off the road and to get some rest. When they fail to do so, they run the risk of causing serious car accidents and injuring both themselves and others. People who are injured because of a drowsy driver may want to speak with a personal injury attorney in order to determine how to proceed. Driving while sleep-deprived can be considered negligence in some cases, and in such cases the attorney may suggest filing a lawsuit against the motorist that would seek compensation for the damages that have been sustained.