Statistics from the Florida Highway Patrol indicate the number of drowsy driving deaths are up in the Sunshine State. There were 14 recorded in both 2013 and 2014. Then in 2015, there were 23. Final figures for 2016 aren’t yet available, but we do know overall crashes were up significantly last year, so it’s likely tired driver wrecks were up too.

Now, a recent study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety indicates sleep-deprived drivers are just as dangerous as those who take to the road drunk on alcohol. Perhaps especially surprising was just how much even a little sleep loss can impact a driver.

We all know the less sleep you get, the higher your risk of being involved in a car accident. But study authors found that even skimping on as little as one or two hours on any given night increased the crash risk by 1.3 times. That’s if you got six hours of sleep compared to the recommended minimum of seven hours. Meanwhile, drivers who slept between five and seven hours had an increased crash risk of 1.9 times. Drivers who slept between four and five hours upped their crash risk by 4.3 times. And drivers who slept fewer than four hours in the previous 24 were 11.5 times more likely to crash their vehicle than someone who had received the daily minimum level.

Someone who scraped by with just 4 to 5 hours of sleep had a comparable crash risk to someone with a blood-alcohol concentration of at or above the legal limit of 0.08. The risk of someone who drive with less than four hours of sleep was deemed “much greater” by researchers – in the neighborhood of a .12 to .15 blood-alcohol concentration.

The interesting thing is that while there is a well-deserved stigma when it comes to drunk driving – because we all know the severe impact impaired motorists have on our roads – yet functioning with as little sleep as possible is somehow seen as a badge of honor.

The report also identified certain groups that may be more at risk for these kinds of crashes, and they include those with fractured schedules. These are people whose jobs may require that they work some shifts at night and some in the day time. Some of the most common include:

• Long-haul truckers
• Nurses
• Police officers
• Physicians

While nearly all drivers responding to the AAA survey indicated they felt it was unacceptable – and further a threat to their safety – for other drivers to take to the roads while they were sleepy. Yet almost a third admitted that at least once over the last 30 days, they had personally driven when they were so tired they had a difficult time keeping their eyes open.

If you have been injured in a Miami auto accident caused by a drowsy driver, we will fight to help you recover damages.

Call Chalik & Chalik at (954) 476-1000 or 1 (800) 873-9040.

Additional Resources:

Sleep-deprived drivers have plenty in common with drunk drivers, Dec. 6, 2016, By Ashley Halsey III, The Washington Post

More Blog Entries:

Third-Party Liability for Distracted Driving Accidents? Dec. 10, 2016, Miami Car Accident Lawyer Blog

The crash involved a high-speed chase on the Courtney Campbell Causeway Bridge in the Tampa Bay area. Williamson was riding at the front of a group of motorcyclists, and police reports recorded that a Clearwater police officer clocked him at 120 miles per hour. The officer, Nick Giordano, reached a speed of 145 mph chasing Williamson. The family claims that Giordano’s pursuit was reckless.

Williamson’s motorcycle crashed into the back of a Florida Highway Patrol cruiser that was stationed at a construction zone. An FHP report found Williamson at fault for the accident. Williamson’s father believes that the FHP cruiser deliberately pulled in front of his son.

Both the Florida Highway Patrol and the Clearwater Police Department are named as defendants in the wrongful death lawsuit.

The Clearwater Police Department would not comment on the lawsuit, but records show that Giordano was disciplined after the crash for attempting to stop two different drivers when the speed of the motorcyclists indicated a “reckless disregard” for the safety of the public.

If you need to speak with a wrongful death attorney or lawyer, Call Joyce & Reyes at 1.888.771.1529 or visit more of http://www.joyceandreyespa.com/.

On July 15, 2013, a HART bus collided with a Volvo sedan on 56th Street near Hillsborough Avenue outside the Netpark office park. Seven passengers were sent to area hospitals, as were both drivers.

A spokesman for the Florida Highway Patrol said that the bus driver was cited for making an improper left turn. He turned in front of oncoming traffic, and the Volvo driver tried to swerve to avoid the crash, but could not. The collision sent the bus directly into the edge of a large concrete Netpark sign, which became wedged into the front of the bus.

Although the bus driver was apparently at fault in the collision, he had a strong safety record. Records show he received awards for safety from HART three years in a row. His only citation was in 2010, when he was a new employee, and he bumped into a parked bus inside a bus depot.

This goes to show that even safe drivers make mistakes. Everyone on the road needs to take the personal responsibility to drive carefully and defensively.

Both drivers and one passenger suffered serious injuries, but all were expected to make a full recovery.

If you need to speak with a auto accident attorney, Call Joyce & Reyes at 1.888.771.1529 or visit more of http://www.joyceandreyespa.com/.

In order to cite a driver for this violation, the person must be stopped for some other lawful reason. That means that if a police officer saw a driver texting, the deputy could not pull the person over and give them a ticket, unless the cop saw another infraction that gives him that authority.

This is called a “secondary offense” because it does not allow the officer to pull you over for it, but can be an additional traffic citation. This is how Florida’s seat belt law started out. Initially, law enforcement officers or Florida Highway Patrol trooper could not pull a driver over for not wearing a seat belt, but eventually the law was changed to make not wearing a seat belt a primary offense did allow an officer to pull a person over and write a ticket for not wearing a seat belt.

There is also a provision in the law that allows police to use drivers’ mobile phone records against them only when texting causes a crash resulting in death or personal injury. Whether this part of the law stands up to illegal searches and seizures or requires a warrant before the police can get this information will eventually be challenged in court. In addition, an objection would be made that the need a custodian of records from the cell phone company to get these records into evidence to assure they are accurate and your phone record and not someone else on your plan.

The ban covers tablet computers as well as mobile phones, but excludes using a talk-to-text feature. It also allows texting while stopped at a red light. You can also use your phone records to defend against a texting-while-driving ticket, but some phone companies’ records don’t differentiate between manual texting and talk-to-text messaging.

A first violation is a $30 fine plus court costs. A second or subsequent violation within five years adds three points to the driver’s license and carries a $60 fine.

Eventually, this will become a primary offense so that the police will have another reason to pull drivers over and search their vehicles. Even if your phone records prove that you did not text, you will still have to fight the search because an officer can always say “well, it looked like he was texting.” However, a judge or jury may have something to say about that and your criminal charges could be dismissed because the officer did not have the right to pull you over.

If you were pulled over and the police searched your car, you may have a defense to the criminal charges against you.

Call aggressive criminal lawyer Thomas C. Grajek in Lakeland, Florida now and go to court with a an attorney that will fight for you!

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POLK COUNTY CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER.

CALL AND SET YOUR FREE OFFICE CONSULTATION NOW!

You will not have to drive to another county. Office – Lakeland, Polk County.

Thomas C. Grajek 863-688-4606

Aggressive DUI, DRUG and SEX CRIME attorney representing all individuals arrested in Florida and Polk County, Florida including Bartow, Lakeland, Winter Haven, Mulberry, Haines City, Auburndale, and Lake Wales.