Several Texas highways, including a 145-mile interstate between Corpus Christi and San Antonio, have been called among the worst in the nation for drowsy or fatigued driving fatalities. Texas counties as a whole including Hidalgo County appear near the top of various counts of sleep-related car accident fatalities.
“Falling Asleep At the Wheel,” names Interstate 37 in southern Texas and U.S. 285, which runs through Texas, New Mexico and Colorado, as the nation’s most dangerous roads for fatal sleep-related driving accidents. I-37 had the highest volume of fatal drowsy driving accidents.
On I-37, drowsy driving accidents account for nearly one of every five fatal motor vehicle accidents, the study says. Commercial truck drivers spend many hours behind the wheel to transport goods. They are among the drivers most likely to drive when fatigued and struggling to stay awake, the report says. Large trucks can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, which makes truck accidents especially dangerous.
I-37 runs through a largely rural part of Texas and there aren’t many towns or roadside stops for drivers to take a break and get refreshed, Fox 44 News in Waco says in its coverage of the study.
Interstate 40, which runs across the Texas Panhandle, is also listed among the most dangerous for sleep-deprived drivers with 7.06% percent of fatal accidents sleep-related.
On U.S. 285, of which about 100 miles stretch between Fort Stockton and the New Mexico state line north of Pecos, 18.09% of fatal accidents are sleep-related.
Bexar County (San Antonio) is No. 2 of 10 counties in the US. with the most sleep-related driving fatalities in the past six years, with 35. Dallas County and Atascosa County (Jourdanton), each with 19 sleep-related driving fatalities in the last six years, are No. 6.
Overall, Texas is fourth in the nation with 5.7% of fatal accidents linked to fatigue or drowsiness. Wyoming (8.6%), Vermont (6.8%) and Colorado (6%) are the Top 3 and Montana (4.6%) is No. 5.
The study is by Sleep Junkie, a website that publishes sleep health information along with comprehensive mattress reviews and sales guides. Its authors used National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data from 2010 to 2015 to analyze how many sleep-related fatalities occurred by road, road type, state, time of day, type of car, and county. The definition for sleep-related accident is a fatal car accident in which at least one driver of a vehicle involved in the crash was reported to have been asleep or fatigued.
Why Is Drowsy Driving So Common and Dangerous?
The report says some estimates suggest that more than 1,500 people die every year due to someone falling asleep behind the wheel. Some studies indicate that being awake for more than 18 hours can produce impairment of judgment and reflexes similar to a blood alcohol level of .05. A blood alcohol level of .08 is considered legally drunk.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says no one knows the exact moment when sleep comes over their body. The danger of falling asleep at the wheel is obvious but being sleepy also affects your ability to recognize and respond to dangerous traffic situations and avoid accidents. Being drowsy …
- Makes you less able to pay attention to the road.
- Slows reaction time necessary to brake or steer suddenly.
- Affects your ability to make good decisions.
People can become sleepy or fatigued behind the wheel because they:
- Drive for extended periods of time
- Drive without having had adequate sleep the previous night
- Have had too little sleep over a long period
- Have consumed alcohol or medications that have a sedative effect
- Suffer from untreated sleep disorders such as sleep apnea.
The report also says getting on the road before you’re fully awake and alert can be as dangerous as not having had enough sleep.
Weather and light may also contribute to dangerous conditions that promote falling asleep at the wheel.
The Sleep Junkie study says the most frequently cited factors in drowsy driving fatalities are:
- Interstate highways
- The hours of 6 a.m. to 7 a.m.
- Dawn lighting conditions
- Foggy weather
- Utility vehicles and pickup trucks.
Fatigue and driving facts. People who are more likely to drive drowsy are:
- Younger male drivers who do not get enough sleep because of working part-time in addition to school and/or active social lives
- Young mothers, particularly those who also work outside of the home
- Commercial drivers who operate vehicles such as tractor-trailers and buses
- Drivers on long trips
- Shift workers who work night shifts or split shifts
- Drivers who use certain medications, alcohol or illicit drugs
- Drivers with untreated sleep disorders.
Contact a McAllen, TX, Drowsy Driving Car Accident Lawyer
If you or a loved one of yours has been in an accident in which a car or truck did not brake or attempt to avoid the collision, the other driver may have been drowsy and nodding off at the wheel or actually asleep at the wheel at the time of the crash. A car accident attorney from Herrman & Herrman in McAllen, Texas, may be able to help you obtain compensation for your medical bills and other losses.
The attorneys at Herrman & Herrman offer a free, no-obligation review of the facts of your case. If you have a valid claim, we can gather evidence, contact the insurance company and seek the full compensation appropriate for your injuries and other losses.
Our fatigued driving accident injury lawyers have a successful track record of recovering high-value settlements and verdicts for accident victims like you. Contact our firm now for aggressive representation in your drowsy driving accident claim.
CONTACT HERRMAN & HERRMAN IF YOU HAVE BEEN INJURED IN ANY OF THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF ACCIDENTS:
We can help you if you have been harmed by the following:
- Car accidents – Our lawyers have extensive experience handling car accident cases. We will work to identify the party or parties at fault for the crash and build a case to demonstrate persuasively how the parties caused the accident and your injuries. We will seek fair and full compensation through a negotiated settlement or at trial if necessary.
- Truck accidents – Thousands of large commercial trucks travel the roads of Texas every single day. Unfortunately, careless truck drivers and trucking companies disregarding safety put innocent people at risk of serious injuries. If you’ve been injured in a truck accident, let our experienced Texas personal injury lawyers stand up to the trucking companies and insurers on your behalf.
- Motorcycle accidents – Motorcycle riders often suffer grievous injuries in crashes caused by other motorists. Too many motorcycle accidents in Corpus Christi are caused by careless drivers who don’t look for motorcycle riders or violate their right of way. Our personal injury lawyers will work to cut through the bias and stigma against motorcycle riders. Our goal is to seek the financial compensation that you’ll need to recover from a serious motorcycle accident and injuries such as bone fractures, road rash, or traumatic brain injury.
- Product liability – Product manufacturers have a legal obligation to make products that are safe for their intended uses and to warn consumers of any risks that may come with the product. When products have design or manufacturing defects or undisclosed dangers, the product manufacturer may be legally responsible for injuries suffered by consumers. Our attorneys can help you evaluate whether you have a valid product liability claim.
- Brain injury – Brain injuries can leave accident victims with disabilities that leave them unable to work or perform many tasks of daily living. Seeking compensation for a brain injury in an accident often proves incredibly complex. The brain injury survivor may seek compensation for anticipated future medical care and the medical care already provided. Our personal injury lawyers can help you through the difficult recovery process following a brain injury and will fight to make sure you have the resources you need.
- Spinal injury – Spinal cord injuries could cost millions of dollars of care over the course of the victim’s lifetime, especially when those injuries result in partial or complete paralysis, such as paraplegia or quadriplegia. If you or your loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury, you deserve compassionate legal representation. Our attorney can help you determine whether you may be entitled to claim compensation for your injury and expenses related to living with the disability, such as making a home more accessible.
- Wrongful death – If you have lost a loved one due to the negligent or reckless actions of another party, your family deserves to seek accountability and compensation from those at fault for the wrongful death. Our caring and dedicated attorneys can help guide you and your family through this difficult and painful time and seek justice for your loved one.
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