Drowsy Drivers Cause Deadly Accidents

A recent article in the Washington Post talked about the havoc that the seasonal time changes can wreck on our sleep habits and pointed out the dangers that "drowsy drivers" create.  We hear all the time about a drunk driver causing an auto accident or someone causing a crash because they are texting, but did you know that one in six traffic fatalities are caused by a driver who has fallen asleep?

It makes sense: drivers who fall asleep may depress the accelerator, they fail to slow their cars prior to impact, they run red lights and stop signs, they may slowly drift into oncoming traffic or off the roadway entirely... the list goes on and on.  And more than one-third of us admit to having fallen asleep or nearly fallen asleep within the last several months. 

You might not think that a single hour of lost sleep can have an impact on your driving abilities, but according to John Townsend of AAA, "studies show that traffic accidents noticeably increase for a week following the time change in both teh fall and the spring."  As drivers, Townsend says, we seriously misjudge the impact that our sleepiness has on our ability to control our cars.

Click the link if you're interested in learning more about Virginia law and drowsy driving car accidents.