Drowsy Driving

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Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer warns trucking companies that encourage fatigued driving put lives in jeopardy

A recent report by ABC’s 20 20, focused on the dangers of forcing truck drivers to drive sleep deprived. ABC reported that big rigs are involved in 868 crashes every day in in the U.S. When truck drivers are overworked and sleep-deprived, the risk to themselves and the public can be deadly.

That National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that in 2012, there were more than 330,000 large truck crashes resulting in 3921 deaths and 104,000 injuries. State troopers interviewed by ABC news said that truck crashes are catastrophic.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), more deaths in large truck accidents are passenger vehicle occupants, because trucks often weigh 20-30 times as much as passenger cars. Truck braking capability is also a factor in truck crashes, as a loaded tractor-trailer takes 20-40 percent farther than cars to stop. […]

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Tracy Morgan Sues Walmart of Deadly Truck Crash putting focus on lack of sleep among truck drivers

Comedian Tracy Morgan has field a lawsuit against Walmart, in which he claims the company was negligent when a driver a driver of one of its tractor-trailers rammed into Morgan’s limousine van.

The lawsuit claims that Walmart should have know that its driver had been awake for more than 24 hours and that his commute of 700 miles form his home in Georgia to work in Delaware was unreasonable. It also alleges the driver fell asleep at the wheel.

The lawsuit states, “as a result of Walmart’s gross, reckless, willful, wanton, and intentional conduct, it should be appropriately punished with the imposition of punitive damages.”

A former Saturday Night Live star, Morgan was recently released from a rehab facility where he had been recovering from serious injuries he suffered in the wreck that left fellow comedian James McNair dead. […]

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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, […]

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Truck driver falls asleep while driving, causes fatal crash on I-78 in Allentown

A report referenced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration indicated that being awake for 18 hours is comparable to having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent, which is legally intoxicated and leaves you at equal risk for a crash.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that 100,000 police-reported crashes are the direct result of driver fatigue each year. This results in an estimated 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries, and $12.5 billion in monetary losses.

The truck driver in the fatal accident on I-78, who said he fell asleep at the wheel, was charged with involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment, careless driving and various traffic summaries. According to state police, he admitted nodding off 25 to 30 minutes before the crash. He tried to stay awake by rolling down the window and playing the radio, police said in court records. […]

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Why the New FMCSA Truck Driver Fatigue Management Tool May Not Work Like We Need it to. Pennsylvania Personal Injury Lawyers Explain:

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Is Going to New Measures to Reduce Truck Accidents in Pennsylvania – But Will They Work? Personal Injury Lawyer Explains:

• What is the FMCSA trying to prevent and why might it not work as well as we hope?
• How could the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s regulations affect your truck accident case?
• Will Pennsylvania Personal Injury Lawyers ask for money up-front to take on your case? How much are they going to charge you? 

WATCH VIDEO: PENNSYLVANIA PERSONAL INJURY LAWYERS GIVE INFO ON TRUCK ACCIDENTS:

Effects of new FMCSA program may be limited. Pennsylvania personal injury lawyers explain why:

Last year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) launched the North American Fatigue Management Program (NAFMP),  […]