You may have done it before, stayed out a bit too late and had to drive home feeling sleepy and drowsy. For many this is an everyday occurrence as they are working the night shift and find themselves driving to or from work feeling drowsy. This is not safe. Drowsy driving is the equivalent of impaired driving and can lead to a Connecticut auto accident.
Driving drowsy has some consequences that most people may not even realize. For one, if you are tired/fatigued you will be three times more likely to get into a car accident. That means it can be just as dangerous to get behind the wheel after a long night at the office as it can be when you’ve had a couple of alcoholic drinks.
Each year throughout the United States thousands of people die in drowsy driving related accidents. In fact, in 2017 there were a reported 91,000 car crashes that involved a drowsy driver which led to 50,000 injuries and nearly 800 deaths according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Association (NHTSA.) While this number is not close to the nearly 10,500 deaths associated with drunk driving, it is still concerning, and drowsy drivers need to take heed when thinking about driving while fatigued.
If you lose two hours of sleep and get behind the wheel that would be like driving after having 3 beers. If you are up for 20 hours in a row and get behind the wheel it is the equivalent of being legally drunk behind the wheel. This underscores the serious nature of driving drowsy.
If you or a loved one was involved in a Connecticut auto accident you may want to contact our office immediately so that one of our experienced attorneys can review your case.
