Blog Post

Even with telling statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that there are roughly 100,000 auto accidents occurring each year due to driver fatigue or drowsiness, most states, California included, have no policy that outlaws drowsy driving.  According to the National Sleep Foundation, placing curbs on drowsy driving, like the ones that are currently in place for drunk driving, would decrease the number of accidents that occur each year, but authorities seem to be sleeping on the matter.

According to statistics from the National Sleep Foundation, at least 60 percent of people admit to having gotten behind the wheel of a vehicle in a sleepy state.  At least 37 percent admit to having actually fallen asleep at the steering wheel on at least one occasion.  That's a whopping 103 million people who confess to having fallen asleep while driving.   Further, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that at least 1,550 lives are lost each year to motor vehicle accidents that involved a driver who dozed off at the wheel.  Apart from these easily preventable fatalities, there are a huge number of injuries that occur, about 71,000 every year.  

The agency acknowledges however, that these statistics may not be revealing the complete picture.  After all, there is no test that you can use to monitor the extent of a person's drowsiness, as you can do with a drunken driving accident.  Officers tend to rely on self-reporting by the motorist which may not always be reliable.  This means that the actual number of accidents could be greater.

Experts point to several  groups of people who might be predisposed to dozing off at the wheel. These include

• Commercial truck drivers who work in shifts
• People in other shift-based occupations
• Young males below the age of 25.
• People who suffer from sleep disorders
• People who spend a lot of time flying, and are therefore prone to jetlag
• Overworked people, who may work more than 60 hours a week
• People who have trouble sleeping because of stress etc.

At least one California mother wishes that the state had tough laws to prevent drowsy driving.  Valerie Misch is currently helping her son Michael Sayadoff, get through the severe brain injuries that he received in a car accident involving a driver who fell asleep at the wheel.  The accident left him with severe injuries, including a smashed right side of the body, and at least five different spots in the brain that suffered injury. Both Misch and the father of the girl who was killed in that car accident, want the law books to include at least a penalty against drowsy driving.  


New Jersey is the only state that currently has laws against drowsy driving.  At least eight other states are currently considering such laws.  However, California is yet to wake up to the dangers posed by drivers who fall asleep at the wheel.  Granted, there are inherent difficulties in enforcing any drowsy driving laws, but, there must be penalties that will force drivers to pull over to the side of the street, and take a short nap if they find themselves nodding off.  Any law that prevents more accidents, fatalities, and injuries on California streets, is worth it.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of car accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.