The Shocking Statistics on Falling Asleep in Traffic

4.2% of respondents in a survey of more than 147,000 adults in 19 states and the District of Columbia said they鈥檇 fallen asleep at the wheel at least once in the previous 30 days. That鈥檚 more than 6,000 people nodding off in traffic, just from this limited sample.

Longer-term statistics are even more alarming. 10% of respondents to a smaller-scale survey by AAA revealed that they鈥檇 fallen asleep while driving at least once in the past year, and 43.2% said they had at some point in their lives.

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What Do These Statistics Mean for New Yorkers?

While we don鈥檛 have specific statistics on New York drivers falling asleep in traffic, the general percentages lead to alarming conclusions. As of 2017, there were more than聽12 million licensed drivers in the state of New York聽and more than 3.8 million in NYC. Assuming New Yorkers are falling asleep while driving at rates similar to U.S. drivers overall, that means:

• More than 160,000 New York City drivers likely fell asleep in traffic in the past 30 days
• More than 380,000 New York City drivers likely fell asleep while driving at some point in the last year
• More than 1.6 million New York City drivers have likely fallen asleep at the wheel at some point in their driving histories

Those numbers are unsettling enough, but consider what happens when we look at licensed drivers across the state of New York:

• More than half a million have likely nodded off while driving in the past month
• More than 1.2 million are projected to have fallen asleep in traffic in the past year
• Well over 5 million have likely drifted off behind the wheel at least once

Drowsy Driving is Negligent

No one intends to fall asleep at the wheel, so it may be natural to think of a traffic crash caused by a fatigued driver nodding off as just an unfortunate accident. However, falling asleep in traffic isn鈥檛 something that typically happens to well-rested people who have experienced no warning signs. Rather, when driver nods off on the road, he or she has likely made irresponsible decisions, such as driving without adequate sleep or ignoring drowsiness and loss of focus on the road.

If you鈥檝e been injured in a traffic crash because a driver fell asleep at the wheel, don鈥檛 make the mistake of assuming that collision was 鈥渘o one鈥檚 fault.鈥� If the driver knowingly took a risk or ignored warning signs, such as getting behind the wheel after having been up all night or continuing to drive though he was exhausted, losing focus, having trouble keeping his eyes open, or otherwise aware that his ability to drive safely had been compromised, you may be entitled to damages.

A New York City personal injury lawyer experienced in handing聽car accident cases, and drowsy driving cases in particular, can review the facts of your case and advise you of your rights and the possible damages in your case. Just schedule a聽free consultation with a NYC personal injury lawyer聽right now.

We have helped clients obtain justice and compensation in a variety of personal injury cases, such as car accidents, construction accidents, wrongful death, and severe injuries.

Call or text聽(212) 732-2929聽or complete a聽Free Case Evaluation form

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