DUI and Drowsy Driving

Recent studies suggest that people are driving more often under a sleepy or drowsy condition.  As much as 51% of licensed adults admit that they have felt sleepy while driving.  More disturbing is the fact that about 17%, which equates to 32 million individuals, have fallen asleep while driving.

 

Current Figures

 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has completed their own studies and they indicate that at least 100,000 automobile crashes are caused by drowsy driving annually.  These crashes lead to approximately 1,550 deaths along with over 70,000 injuries and up to 12.5 billion in financial losses.  Experts state that it is tough to determine drowsiness as a cause for a crash.

 

• There is no consistent practices used across all states to determine whether or not the driver was drowsy during the accident.
• To date, there is not a proven method for determining if a person is sleepy that compares to a breathalyzer.
• Most people do not admit to their own fault in these types of situations.

 

Risk Groups

 

There are different groups of people that seem to have a higher risk of driving while sleepy.  Of all the different demographics, young people between the ages of 18 and 29 show the highest risk of driving drowsy.  Along with young people, men show a high risk as well, with 56% of men more likely to demonstrate sleepy driving compared to 45% of women.

 

Besides young people and men, shift workers have a high rate of driving while sleepy.  The constant change in work schedules, coupled with sleeping at different times of the day and night, lead to a higher incidence of these people driving under fatigue and likely having an automobile wreck.

 

Effects from Lack of Sleep

 

When people do not get enough sleep their attention is affected.  Impaired attention can lead to slower reactions, or the wrong reaction, that can lead to an automobile crash.  A recent poll from the National Sleep Foundation found that a lack of sleep for drivers leads to higher stress, feelings of impatience, and faster driving.

 

The same study found that older drivers are much more likely to stop and nap for a little while compared to younger drivers.  Younger drivers feel that they can “push” through their sleepy feelings and continue to drive.

 

Common Characteristics of Drowsy Driving Crashes

 

Although there is no certified method for determining if a lack of adequate sleep was the cause of a crash, sufficient studies have shown some common themes among these types of accidents.

 

• The crashes often happen during very late night or early morning hours, usually between midnight and 5 am.
• The accident happens on a high speed road or highway.
• The driver does not take action to avoid the collision.
• The driver is usually all alone in their car.
• The collision is significant.
• Only one car is involved in the accident.

 

Increased Risk for Drowsy Driving

 

Recent evidence has shown that different actions and factors can increase increase the feeling of sleepiness in drivers and lead to more accidents.

 

• Driving very late at night or extremely early in the morning.
• Lack of sufficient sleep.
• Certain medicines that are known to cause drowsiness.
• Undiagnosed or improperly treated sleep problems such as insomnia and sleep apnea.
• Alcohol consumption, which has been shown to speed up the feeling of sleepiness.

 

Defending a DUI or Drowsy Sleeping Case

 

When a person is discovered at the scene of a single car crash it is quite probable that the officers will persuade the victim to submit to a breathalyzer.  If the person is unconscious, they will likely transport the victim to the nearest medical facility.  There, the officers may request a blood sample in order to complete a blood DUI test.  If the breathalyzer or blood test show any significant amounts of alcohol in the blood, such as .05% BAC, the officers and attorneys may attempt to charge the person with a DUI.  Their argument may be that the officers do not know how much time passed before the person was discovered by police and therefore their BAC had time to drop.

 

It is very important in this instance to contact an experienced DUI attorney.  An attorney can analyze all the facts of the case and assemble the best defense.  Since drowsy driving does not usually carry the significant penalties like a DUI arrest, your attorney needs to contacted as soon as possible in order to get all the information together on your behalf.