Ohio drivers might be surprised to learn that in a 2014 survey by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, more than 10 percent of drivers said they had fallen asleep while driving in the past year, and 37 percent said they had done so at some point in their lives. Despite this, 96 percent of the people surveyed also said that driving while drowsy was not acceptable.
The organization also found that about one out every five accidents was caused by driving while drowsy. The number is up from 2010 when fatigue was cited in just over 16 percent of cases. In most cases, the driver drifted out of the lane, and often, the fatality was the driver. The 2014 study estimated that more than 100,000 crashes with injuries and around 6,400 fatal crashes are caused by drowsy driving each year.
The study found that men were two times more likely to have accidents as a result of driving while drowsy than women. The organization plans to continue working to educate the public regarding drowsy driving in hopes of bringing down the frequency of drowsy driving.
People in another vehicle might be injured by a driver who falls asleep at the wheel and drifts into their lane. The crash could be serious, and the victims might have a long period of recovery during which they are unable to work. In some cases, injured victims may have life-altering injuries and might have to make substantial changes to their lifestyle and residence. Driving while drowsy could be found to be negligence, and a personal injury attorney for a victim might recommend the filing of a lawsuit against the responsible driver seeking appropriate damages.