A Common Cause of Car Accidents—and it’s not Texting and Driving

After the invention of cell phones and texting, one of the major causes of car accidents is “distracted driving.” While “distracted driving” can also refer to eating, brushing your hair, or putting on your lipstick while driving, it has more commonly come to mean texting and driving. And while texting and driving are known to be even more dangerous than drinking and driving, there is another cause of driver error that is even more dangerous and more common.

What is it?

It’s driving while you are tired.

Drowsy Driving

Driving while fatigued is a major cause of motor vehicle accident collisions.

Many people underestimate just how dangerous it is. Exhaustion affects your ability to think, perceive, and react. Being overtired while driving can have the same effect on your ability to respond and react to what is happening on the road as driving while drunk or under the influence.

Like other types of careless driving (e.g., texting and driving, driving with your dog loose in the car or sitting on your lap, putting on your makeup while driving, etc.) driving while fatigued is negligent. This means that if you get into a car accident due in whole or in part to the fact that you were overtired while driving, you may be liable (in whole or in part) for the other driver’s injuries and/or property damage.

To be clear, just like you know it is your responsibility to not drink and drive, each driver is responsible for knowing when he or she is too tired to safely operate a vehicle.

According to the American Sleep Foundation, almost half of all drivers (including commercial truck drivers) get behind the wheel while drowsy. Indeed, studies show that as much as 20% of all drivers admit that they have fallen asleep behind the wheel at some point. Unfortunately, while we may be aware of how dangerous drinking and driving is, most people simply do not think about the danger they pose to themselves and others when driving while fatigued.

We all know that there are many reasons why people drive while tired: lack of sleep due to a new baby keeping you up; traveling across the country; late nights spent at work, and so on. But regardless of why you are tired, it is critical that you don’t drive when you are sleepy.

Otherwise, you just may find yourself in a car crash and sleeping the eternal sleep.

Louisiana Car Accident Attorneys

If you or someone you love has been injured in a car accident, call us ToDay! We are car accident attorneys. We offer FREE consultations and we don’t get paid unless you win your case. We have offices in Baton Rouge, and we serve all of Southern Louisiana. Call 225-200-0000 ToDay to schedule your free consultation.