What You Need To Know About Drowsy Driving Law in Pasco County
It is not easy to determine just how many crashes and accidents in Florida are caused by drowsy driving, but the figures that have been found are disturbing. According to the National Sleep Foundation, around 23 percent of adults in the U.S. know someone who has fallen asleep when driving.
Almost 100,000 auto accidents are caused each year in this country by exhausted drivers leading to more than 1,500 fatalities.
Unlike drunk driving, officers have no way to really test for drowsiness, so they cannot accurately report whether being sleepy was the cause of an accident. Relying on drivers to admit that they have made this error in judgement does not allow for consistent data collection. In addition, reporting by officers may not be as uniform, so errors are likely.
European nations have more accurate reporting and have stated that 10 to 30 percent of all accidents are a result of people driving drowsy.
What Florida Is Doing About Drowsy Driving
The state is trying to combat this problem by creating the Ronshay Dugan Act. As reported by Drowsy Driving Florida, this act created Drowsy Driving Prevention Week, which occurs the first week of September. Enacted in honor of an eight-year-old girl who was killed by a fatigued driver, this act is designed to help educate the public about the dangers of driving when sleepy. It is spearheaded by the Departments of Transportation and Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
The goal is to make the public aware that driving while drowsy is just as dangerous as driving while intoxicated, and to prevent people from getting behind the wheel when they are seriously sleep deprived.
“At the law firm of Frank P. Bianco, P.A., I understand the pressures you face in auto accidents. if you have been the victim of a drowsy driving accident or criminal charge, call us immediately to get advice. Free consultations.”