In Jonesboro, Paragould, Craighead County, Lawrence County, Greene County, Mississippi County, Poinsett County and surrounding areas, drivers are expected to stop operating their vehicles if they begin to feel overtired. A personal injury lawyer can help victims of collision that occur when drivers stay on the road after it's unsafe to do so. Drowsy driving accident cases can be complex because it can be hard to tell when a driver caused a crash because he was too tired.
Drowsy driving is not specifically against the law and it is difficult, if not impossible, to craft a specific law or regulation that would keep an average motorist from driving while fatigued. Driving while drowsy is considered to be a type of negligence and motorists are held responsible for their carelessness if they choose to stay behind the wheel when it is not safe.
The NHTSA Aims to Provide Better Drowsy Driving Prevention Solutions
Many drivers do not live up to the responsibility of stopping and resting when they feel too tired to drive. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did a study and found that around four percent of all motorists on U.S. roads had said they'd fallen asleep behind the wheel over the course of the month prior to taking the survey.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicates that drowsy driving is a universal problem that could happen to anyone. While not everyone drives too fast or drinks, everyone does sometimes become fatigued and doesn't get enough sleep. Motorists who are traveling when they are tired could fall asleep going at 60 or 70 MPH on the roads and could cause a life-threatening collision. Around 72,000 crashes every year involve a drowsy driver.
According to Automobile Magazine, the NHTSA has plans to focus on trying to reduce those drowsy driving accidents. The NHTSA will be taking some steps this year in an effort to do better with preventing fatigued crashes, but it is not clear whether the agency's effort will be effective or will go far enough.
The NHTSA has announced that it is going to be increasing public education in the area of drowsy driving. The agency is also going to do some more research into the causes and risk factors of drowsy driving and will be doing research into whether electronic or technological approaches could be the better solutions in helping to stop crashes caused by drowsy driving.
Research moves slowly, and neither data collection nor public education is likely to make a substantial difference in reducing drowsy driving crashes. Motorists can't count on the NHTSA to fix the drowsy driving problem and need to make a commitment themselves to never continue to drive when feeling too tired to be safe.
If you were injured or a loved one died in a truck accident, a Jonesboro personal injury lawyer can fight to protect your rights. Contact the McDaniel Law Firm at 1-855-524-4744. Serving Northeast Arkansas including Jonesboro, Paragould, Craighead County, Lawrence County, Greene County, Mississippi County, Poinsett County and surrounding areas.
