Drowsy Driving

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Drowsy Driving Myths and Misconceptions

After decades of representing individuals and families who have been victims of tractor trailer crashes, our truck accident lawyers know that drowsy driving is one of the biggest threats to the traveling public today.

According to a recent report from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), approximately 5,000 people died in drowsy driving accidents last year in the United States. And, about 10-20% of truck accidents involved a tired driver.

Alertness, judgment, vision, and reaction time all decrease with fatigue. An alarming number of drivers report dozing off or falling asleep while driving.

Drowsy Driving: Myth vs. Fact

Myth: Fatigue is a sign of weakness.

Fact: Sleep is a basic human need, as essential as food and water. Without it, the body cannot function properly.  In a profession as physically demanding as trucking, […]

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Nov. 16 is World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims

At Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys, we know as well as anyone that car accidents, and the tragedies they can leave behind, are all too common. Each year, over 30,000 people are killed in motor vehicle accidents in the United States alone. Hundreds of thousands more are injured. We hear about these incidents every day, but there is nothing routine about the pain and trauma that they can cause. That is why, on November 16, we will pause to remember the victims of traffic accidents and their families.

According to the World Health Organization, The World Day of Remembrance for road traffic victims was first observed in 1993. In 2005, the United Nations endorsed it as a day of remembrance to be observed annually on the third Sunday in November.

All across the United States and the world, there will be parades, […]

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Daylight savings time leads to more accidents

Last weekend, Americans gained an hour of sleep as daylight savings time (DST) ended and the clocks were set back one hour. For most people, the time change means a slight adjustment to our sleep schedules and to the evenings becoming darker earlier. However, the overnight time change can also lead to an increase in car and pedestrian accidents.

Not surprisingly, traffic and pedestrian accidents are more likely to occur in darkness. Loss of daylight means lower visibility, which is especially dangerous for pedestrians. Darkness is also more conducive to drowsy driving, a leading cause of car and trucking accidents.

According to CBS New York, the Monday after clocks are set forward when DST begins in the spring is “one of the deadliest days on the road,” as drivers are more likely to be tired, having “lost” an hour of sleep, […]

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Dangerous weekend for motorists on I-81 with drowsy and wrong-way driving

A 36-year-old Plymouth man was killed when the Toyota sedan he was driving, collided with a tractor-trailer near the Blackman Street exit of I-81 around 3:45 a.m. on Saturday. The driver of the Toyota was traveling in the wrong direction at a high rate of speed when the accident occurred.

Wrong way driving often results in deadly, high-speed collisions. ABC News reported that wrong way driver accidents are responsible for 1,100 deaths per year. The news organization reported that intoxicated drivers and those over age 80 make up a large percentage of wrong-way drivers and that most wrong way driving accidents occur at night or on the weekends. While cities and states need to work to improve signage on certain roadways, we must also stop drunk driving to help stop wrong-way driving accidents.

Another accident occurred on I-81 in Mahanoy Township late Saturday morning when a 59-year-old woman told police she fell asleep at the wheel, […]

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The Dangers of Driving Drowsy

Driving impaired doesn’t have to mean driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. It can also mean driving while drowsy—a practice that leads to more than 100,000 crashes each year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Of this total, 40,000 injuries and 1,500 deaths are reported. In fact, a study showed that driving while being awake for 18 hours was the same as driving with a blood alcohol level of .05. Driving after being awake for 24 hours was equal to a blood alcohol level of .10—a level of .08 is legally drunk.

As with drunk driving, sleep-deprived driving also inhibits a person’s reaction time, judgment, and vision; causes problems with information processing and short-term memory; decreases awareness, and increases aggressiveness.

Unfortunately, in the commercial truck driving culture, getting behind the wheel, […]