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Characteristics of Drowsy Driving Accidents in Virginia

Drowsy driving: it does not sound like a serious, deadly road safety issue for Virginians to worry about, but it is. Driving while tired can lead to debilitating injuries from auto wrecks or fatal crashes that take innocent lives.

The challenge for law enforcement officials and auto accident investigators in Virginia is that unlike drunken driving there are no tests for drowsy driving. Nor are there any objective measures for what constitutes being too tired to drive. Because of this, the issue receives only a fraction of the attention allocated to drunken driving.

Drowsy driving crashes typically share the following characteristics:

• They happen late at night, mostly after midnight
• There is a smaller secondary peak in drowsy driving accidents in the midafternoon
• Drowsy driving accidents among younger drivers (up to age 45) peak at night, but not as much in the midafternoon
• Drowsy driving accidents for drivers age 45 to 65 peak at 7am, but don’t happen as frequently late at night
• Drowsy driving accidents for drivers over 65 are more common in the midafternoon
• So-called “fall-asleep crashes” are often very serious, because they typically involve high speeds (it is easier to fall asleep while traveling at a monotonous speed on a highway than it is on a neighborhood road where attention is required)
• Drowsy driving accidents often involve only a single vehicle that leaves the road when the driver falls asleep
• Some studies suggest that fatigue may play more of a role in rear-end crashes and head-on crashes than currently known
• One clue that fatigue was a factor in a crash is when the driver fails to try to avoid the crash. Typically drives will brake or steer suddenly to avoid an accident, but drivers who fall asleep do not.
• Solo driver are more likely to fall asleep than drivers carrying passengers
• Alcohol enhances the effect of fatigue, making a drowsy driving / drunken driving accident more likely

Get help after a Virginia auto accident

If you’ve been hurt in a Virginia car crash because another driver fell asleep or was otherwise negligent, please don’t suffer in silence. Contact the Norfolk based attorneys at Weisberg & Zaleski to find out how we can help you secure fair, just compensation for your suffering and injuries.

Weisberg & Zaleski, P.C.

112 College Place

Norfolk, VA 23510

Toll Free: (800) 690-0235

Phone: (757) 622-7740

Fax: (757) 533-9223

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