What You Need To Know About Drowsy Driving

Posted in Car Accident on July 10, 2016

One of the most dangerous hazards on the road in Denver is drowsy or overtired drivers. Sleepiness behind the wheel can affect any driver, including drivers who have smaller vehicles, large trucks or even semi tractor trailers. When drivers fall asleep at the wheel, they can cause serious personal injury and property damage to any victim who happens to be in their path. What makes drowsy driving accidents so bad is that they are entirely preventable – drivers should never get behind the wheel, or continue to drive, if they are tired or could fall asleep while in control of a vehicle.

What Causes Drowsy Driving Accidents in Denver?

There are a number of potential contributing causes that can make a driver too drowsy to drive safely. Some of these potential contributing causes can include:

• • The drowsy driver could be working too hard or too many hours at their job, which leaves them too tired to drive safely.
  • The drowsy driver could be taking medications that make them tired, or could have combined drugs and alcohol for driving.
  • The drowsy driver could have a medical condition, or a sleep disorder, that causes them to fall asleep behind the wheel.
  • The drowsy driver could develop road hypnotism, where the road mesmerizes the driver into a lulled state, and they could fall asleep.

Long-haul truck drivers and people who work night shifts or strange hours have a higher risk of falling asleep at the wheel.

How Can Drivers Avoid Falling Asleep at the Wheel?

There are a number of ways that drivers can avoid falling asleep at the wheel and endangering others on the road. For instance, there are number of taxi-services, or taxi-like services (e.g. Lyft, Uber, etc.) that drowsy drivers could choose to utilize. People who are too tired to drive could also carpool with someone who is capable and alert enough to drive.

Proving Liability for Drowsy Driving

It is tough to prove that someone was driving while drowsy because it is hard to provide evidence that the driver was asleep at the wheel. Being asleep leaves no visible or detectable evidence so that police investigating the accident know that the driver passed out. Of course, the driver who fell asleep at the wheel could always lie.

But it may be possible to gather circumstantial evidence that potentially demonstrates that the driver was asleep behind the wheel. For instance, evidence that the driver had been driving for many hours straight without a break, or that the driver had a medical condition or was on medications that cause drowsiness, could be useful in proving that the driver was asleep or too tired to safely operate the vehicle.

Contact Us Today for Help

If you have been involved in an accident where you suspect that a driver was asleep behind the wheel, or was too drowsy to operate a vehicle safely, you should contact the car accident lawyers at Zaner Harden Law. Reach out to us today for assistance at: www.zanerhardenlaw.com.