Drowsy Driving Is an Expensive and Deadly Problem

Sleep deprivation affects millions of U.S. drivers each day. Each year, these fatigued drivers cause car accidents while behind the wheel and cost society thousands of lives and billions of dollars.

If you have been injured or if a loved one has been killed in an accident caused by a drowsy driver, you may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other expenses. The Las Vegas personal injury attorneys at Henness & Haight will fight to secure the maximum compensation you deserve.

Last week, the Governors Highway Safety Association released a report detailing the dangers of drowsy driving. The report was developed by traffic safety administrators, sleep medicine physicians and public health experts, and reveals shocking details about this often underestimated problem.

The study found that the societal costs of drowsy driving crashes total $109 billion annually. This includes medical expenses, fees for emergency services, legal fees, court costs, insurance administration costs and loss of productivity. This does not include property damage costs.

The study also found that:

• Drowsy drivers are 3.5 times more likely than rested drivers to be in an accident.
• Around 328,000 U.S. crashes are attributed to drowsy driving every year.
• On average, drowsy driving is a factor in 21 percent of fatal crashes each year.
• Younger drivers are most at risk of being involved in a drowsy driving accident – young adult and teen drivers are involved in over 50 percent of yearly drowsy driving crashes.
• Drivers working night shifts, long shifts, or who have irregular schedules are more likely to drive while too tired.
• Those with sleep disorders are also more likely to drive drowsy. An estimated 40 million have a sleep disorder.

Drowsy driving creates extreme danger, so much so that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration now includes drowsy driving as a type of impaired driving, along with distracted, drugged and drunk driving.

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