Drowsy Driving Can Result In DUI Charges
Campbell Whitten: Your Bakersfield DUI Attorney
Drowsy driving is a major public health issue in the United States. All across the nation, shift workers returning home from busy and harrowing work schedules, those who have been drinking alcohol and citizens with untreated sleep conditions fall asleep at the wheel.
According to the Institute of Medicine, more than 70 Million Americans suffer from a sleep disorder For many of these people, phasing in and out of consciousness is not something they plan to do but nonetheless the consequences of drowsy driving can be exceptionally dangerous for the individuals driving as well as for the communities in which they inhabit.
As many as 1 in 25 adults (aged 18 years or older) have reported falling asleep at the wheel in the last 30 days, actual rates could be much higher. In the United States, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration attributes 72,000 crashes, 44,000 injuries, and 800 deaths to drowsy driving in 2013. In the USA, researchers estimate that as many as 6,000 fatal vehicle crashes could be attributed to drowsy drivers and their potentially slight momentary lapses in focus.
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Drivers can never quite be aware of the exact moment they lose control over their ability to adequately steer and maneuver a car; one moment they are fine and in focus, the next they are dangerously unaware. It is easy to see how driving while even a little bit sleepy poses tremendous risk to personal and public safety. Drowsy driving has been found to:
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Cause drivers to be less attentive to their responsibilities
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Cause drivers to react more slowly to environmental stimuli
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Affect drivers ability to respond correctly to adverse situations