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National Drowsy Driving Prevention Week

This last week was National Sleep Foundation's Drowsy Driving Prevention Week. Driving while sleepy can be deadly and leads to many accidents. Millions of people have either been in an accident, or almost had an accident due to driver fatigue.

Here are some facts about driver fatigue from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

It causes at least 100,000 crashes each year
It causes at least 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries and $12.5 billion in costs each year

According to a 2005 Sleep In America poll, around 11 million drivers say they have either crashed or almost wrecked their car because they fell asleep at the wheel or were too sleepy to drive

It is hard to overstate the importance of being rested and alert when driving. If you drive when you are tired, you risk not only your own life, but the lives of others around you.

Car crashes are the leading cause of death of teenagers in the Unites States and sleep-related crashes are the most common in drivers under the age of 25. This is because they are more likely to stay up late, not get enough sleep and they drive at night.

Driver fatigue can cause the following:

Being unable to focus on the road. Your vision may start to blur when you are behind the wheel and things start to get fuzzy.
Sometimes a person who is tired will feel restless and cranky due to lack of sleep.
Your eyelids may start to droop and feel heavy. You may find yourself wanting to close them just for a moment.
Nodding off while driving and having a hard time keeping your head held up are signs that you should immediately pull off the road and stop driving. If you are doing this you need to get some rest before you drive any more.
Swerving while driving is often caused by any or all of the above. You may suddenly wake up while swerving. Again it is time to stop your auto before you wreck it.

Driving while you are sleep-deprived can be worse than driving drunk, and the effects on your driving skills can be about the same.

The bottom line is that it is better to pull off the road and sleep rather than cause an accident that may injure or kill yourself or someone else.

Get our book: Accident Injury Book: Hidden Inside Secrets Big Insurance Companies Don't Want You to Know About Your Injury Claim for no charge, if you live in Virginia. Contact O'Bryan Law today at 1-800-372-4099.