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Virginia (VA) Personal Injury Lawyers
Offices in VA Beach, Hampton & Elizabeth City, NC  


Blog Category:

All Serious Injuries

2/4/2010
Richard N. Shapiro
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Asleep At the Wheel: Drowsy Driving Increasing

According to a recent poll by Sleep in America, 36 percent of drivers admit to nodding off or falling asleep while behind the wheel of a car. The odds of a licensed car driver over the age of 18 getting into a car accident or near-accident due to drowsiness this past year were 1 in 50, according to bookofodds.com. 

drowsy, fatigue, car, accident, crash, wreck, injuryClearly, drowsy driving continues to be a major traffic safety issue. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reveals at least 100,000 car crashes are attributed to driver fatigue/falling asleep while driving each year resulting in roughly 1,550 deaths and 40,000 potentially serious injuries.

It's understandable to feel drained by the hectic schedule in our daily lives, but there's no excuse for nodding off while driving. That's a surefire way of getting into a major car wreck and suffering a serious injury like a broken neck, severed limbs, and/or traumatic brain injury. 

Drowsy/fatigued driving usually occurs if you are on the road for hours on end  without a break. This can happen if you are taking an interstate trip or maybe have a job which requires driving long hours (e.g. a commercial truck driver). You need to be vigilant of the tell-tale signs that you might be feeling fatigued or on the verge of falling to sleep while driving and are prone to dose off.

When you start to feel drowsy, pull over immediately and take a quick power nap or stop at a gas station and grab a coffee or Red Bull. The worst thing you can do is simply keep driving and drain yourself even further. Unfortunately, given the current statistics, it appears many people are not following these guidelines and are putting not only themselves, but other drivers on the road, at risk for a serious car accident.

Here's a video illustrating just how devastating a wreck can be when fall asleep behind the wheel...




Labels: accident Attorney car Crash drowsy fatigue injury Shapiro Wreck


Best Virginia Injury Attorneys Virginia Super Lawyers   

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a Virginia (VA) injury law firm whose attorneys focus exclusively on personal injury and accident law. We have a proven track record in the court room, and you can review our case results to see for yourself. Our attorneys have deep roots in Virginia and handle cases throughout the commonwealth including Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Newport News, Hampton and Suffolk, VA. We have offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, but we're ready to come to you anywhere in VA if you've been seriously hurt by another person's carelessness. 

Virginia injury lawyers Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been recognized as among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Shapiro and Lewis have also been selected by the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009. Rick and Jim have been named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law since 2010, making them among the 5 percent of lawyers so honored. In addition, we were the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Our Virginia Beach accident injury firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill. 

We alsooffer free special reports and edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard blog sites as a public information service.

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer free initial confidential consultations, so call us toll free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to the high call volume, please leave a voicemaul and we will get back to you shortly. 

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