According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, approximately 328,000 fatigued driving accidents occur annually, with approximately 109,000 of these resulting in injury and 6,400 of these resulting in death. Evidently, this is an unacceptable rate. Read on to discover the dangers of fatigued driving and how a seasoned Pasco County, Florida car accident lawyer at Wendy Doyle-Palumbo, Esq. can help you in this situation.

What are the dangers of fatigued driving?

One of the scariest things about fatigued driving is that a driver may not know that are too drowsy or sleep-deprived to get behind the wheel. Sometimes, a driver may experience micro-sleep, which are short, involuntary periods of inattention. So if a driver experiences micro-sleep for just five seconds while driving on a highway, they may just travel the length of a football field before regaining consciousness. In this stretch, a devastating accident may occur.

Notably, fatigued driving has been commonly attributed to drunk driving. In fact, driving after being awake for more than 20 hours is said to be the equivalent of driving with a blood-alcohol content level of 0.08 percent. This is because, if a driver is fatigued, their reaction times, awareness of hazards, and ability to maintain attentiveness are significantly diminished.

What are the signs of fatigued driving?

To reiterate, signs of fatigued driving are hard to detect. But nonetheless, it may be in your best interest to look out for the following indications:

  • You are incessantly yawning.
  • You are noticing yourself nodding off.
  • You are noticing yourself drifting out of your lane.
  • You are having difficulty keeping your eyes open.
  • You are having difficulty remembering where/how you drove in the last few miles.
  • You are having difficulty noticing traffic signs or signals.
  • You are having difficulty following directions from the GPS.
  • You are having difficulty maintaining your speed.

What evidence do I need of a fatigued driver?

If you have been made the victim of a car accident that was caused by a fatigued driver, then you may be eligible for filing a personal injury claim against them.

For your claim, you will need to satisfy your burden of proof and show that your injuries, damages, and the overall accident was directly correlated to the negligence of a fatigued driver. And so, you will need the following pieces of evidence while still at the scene:

  • Surveillance camera footage of your accident occurring.
  • Photos and videos of your injuries and car damages.
  • Photos and videos of the other driver asleep at the wheel, if possible.
  • Contact information from the other driver or drivers involved.
  • Contact information from the present witnesses that can testify.

If you require assistance with gathering this evidence, then seek out a competent Pasco County, Florida auto accident lawyer today. We look forward to hearing from you.