Driving Drowsy is Compared to Drunk Driving | Woodbridge DUI Attorney

Next time you are sitting in traffic, look to the driver to your left, look at your rear view mirror to peek at yourself, and then look at the driver on your right and try to figure out which one of you is driving drowsy. Statically according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, one in every three drivers on the road are driving drowsy. Some call driving drowsy the silent killer taking approximately 1,550 lives in car crashes annually.

Drivers are simply tired after losing sleep trying to meet the demands of their time. If you are thinking that this is not that big of a deal because you do it all the time, you may not even be aware of how your lack of sleep is impairing your ability to drive. It has been found that individuals awake for 18 hours showed impairment while driving compared to an individual with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.05. When you have been awake for 24 hours, you are just above the level of driving impairment of a drunk driver with a 0.10 BAC.

AAA Foundation offers these tips to remain alert and prevent a fall‐asleep crash:

  • Get plenty of sleep (at least seven hours) the night before a long trip
  • Stop driving if you become sleepy; someone who is tired could fall asleep at any time – fatigue impacts reaction time, judgment and vision, causing people who are very sleepy to behave in similar ways to those who are drunk
  • Travel at times when you are normally awake, and stay overnight rather than driving straight through
  • Schedule a break every two hours or every 100 miles
  • Drink a caffeinated beverage. Since it takes about 30 minutes for caffeine to enter the bloodstream, find a safe place to take a 20‐30 minute nap while you’re waiting for the caffeine to take effect
  • Travel with an awake passenger

If you have been charged with speeding, reckless driving or drunk driving DUI / DWI in Woodbridge, Virginia, contact the Parrish Law Firm for a free evaluation of your traffic case. Click here for your free copy of our DUI / DWI Special Report Charged with DWI and don’t know what to do? for helpful tips on how to handle your DUI / DWI charge.

Sources:

WJLA ABC 7 Washington, DC – Falling asleep while driving: More common than you think

DrowsyDriving.org – Facts and Stats Drowsy Driving

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