The Florida Department of Transportation announces its “Drowsy Driving Prevention Week”, which is on the heels of Florida’s Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. The weeklong campaign, which runs through Sept. 7, aims to raise awareness of the dangers of drowsy driving.
Drunk drivers tend to bring outrage to victims and their families, but drowsy drivers pose just as serious a threat. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, driver fatigue results in 100,000 crashes, 1,550 deaths and 40,000 injuries each year. In Florida last year, 2,826 crashes were attributed to drowsy driving.
Twenty-one people were killed and 2,393 were injured.
Young drivers, primarily males under 26, are most at risk for driving while drowsy. In addition, shift workers, commercial truck drivers, business travelers and people with undiagnosed or untreated sleep disorders are at high risk of falling asleep behind the wheel.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a typical crash related to drowsy driving has the following characteristics:
- The crash is likely to be serious
- The crash occurs during the late night, early morning or afternoon
- The crash occurs on a high-speed road
- A single vehicle leaves the roadway
- The driver is alone in the vehicle
- The driver does not attempt to avoid the crash
“Being alert behind the wheel is critical to highway safety,” said Julie L. Jones, executive director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. “Studies show the fatality rate is higher for crashes where a driver falls asleep.”
Our Treasure Coast car accident attorneys know the devastation a drowsy driving accident can have on a family. We ask that all Florida drivers not get behind the wheel of their car if they are drowsy. Take a walk, take a break or call a friend to drive you home if you are too sleepy to drive.
Turn To An Experienced Florida Accident Injury Lawyer
If a drowsy driver in Florida injures you in a Florida traffic accident, contact an aggressive car accident attorney who has helped many injury victims recover from a serious automobile accident. I am attorney Philip DeBerard. I have more than three decades of legal experience representing people injured in car accidents and other personal injury claims.
At the law firm of Philip DeBerard, Injury Attorney, we pride ourselves on providing one-on-one attention to people across South Florida and the Treasure Coast. Our law firm represents victims of drunk driver accidents across South Florida, including Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce, Jupiter, Stuart, Okeechobee, Vero Beach, Palm Beach, and throughout South Florida and the Treasure Coast.
Call 1-800-299-8878 now to speak with a knowledgeable Florida car accident attorney or fill out our online contact form.
