You may not know this, but fatigued driving can be every bit as dangerous as driving while under the influence of alcohol. When you get behind the wheel and drive on a Washington road without getting the proper rest, you can be a danger to other drivers on the road as well as pedestrians. This is a common problem, and many adults do not understand the full ramifications because they only think that it is dangerous to drive drunk.
The statistics about driving fatigued
What is scary is that nearly 1 in 5 U.S. adults actually admits to falling asleep while driving in the past year. Still, the numbers get even worse. Roughly 40% of drivers say that they have fallen asleep while driving at least once since they began driving. These startling figures have a definite effect on road safety because roughly 5,000 drivers were killed in 2015 in accidents that involved fatigued drivers.
The effects of fatigued driving
If you get behind the wheel without having slept for 20 hours, it has the same effect as driving with a blood-alcohol level about the legal limit. Your reaction and braking times are slowed. The danger is compounded even more when you are traveling at a high rate of speed. Driving while fatigued actually triples your chances of having a car accident. Falling asleep does not even mean a full-fledged nap. All it takes is a few seconds of dozing off to cause a serious car crash.
If you have been in an accident with a driver who was fatigued, you may be eligible for substantial financial compensation. You would need to show that the other driver was negligent. The first step is to consult with a car accidents attorney so that you can learn how to file a claim for compensation for your injuries.
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