When asked about the most dangerous motorists on the road, commuters may understandably call attention to intoxicated, distracted and reckless drivers. Those dangerous drivers present hazards on New Jersey roads, but they are not alone. Fatigued drivers might cause collisions due to simply being tired.
Fatigued driving is dangerous driving
Instances of fatigued drivers causing accidents may be higher than most people imagine. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration points out that fatigued driving causes 100,000 crashes yearly. An average of 1,500 deaths and 70,000 injuries result from these fatigue-related collisions.
Someone who works too many hours or suffers from the flu might feel too tired to drive. Taking to the road while exhausted comes with dangers since perception and reaction time might be dull. Avoiding an accident becomes more challenging when the driver’s reflexes and concentration suffer.
Negligence and drowsy driving
Someone suffering from allergies might not think twice about driving after taking an OTC medicine that causes drowsiness. However, the driver could become too impaired to drive, and impaired drivers often cause motor vehicle accidents. The driver might learn how serious a mistake they made when a civil suit results.
Negligence typically involves taking an action that causes others harm. Sometimes, proving someone failed to act supports a negligence claim. With drowsy driving, there could be many ways to suggest a driver’s negligent behavior. Continuing to drive a tractor-trailer in defiance of mandatory break laws could be negligence. The same might be true when someone has had insomnia for days before the accident. Each unique accident will have its specific factual circumstances. If those facts point to negligence, a victim might have a strong civil case.