Kane County, IL Personal Injury Law Firm Advocates for Those Injured in Drowsy Driving Accidents

Batavia, IL Accident Attorneys Handle Cases Involving Fatigued Drivers

According to a study conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, a driver’s risk of an accident or near-accident is four times greater if they drive when they are tired. Sleepy driver behavior observed just prior to a crash included eyelid closure, head bobbing, loss of facial musculature, and micro-sleep (when a driver’s eyes closed and then popped open), according to the study.

Teens Prone to Drowsy Driving

The study found that significantly more accidents or near accidents due to sleepiness occurring during the day rather than at night. Drivers between the ages of 18 and 20 are most likely to cause an accident due to fatigue, perhaps due to the fact that while the sleep patterns of adolescents change to going to bed later, they are still required to get up early for school, resulting in daytime sleepiness.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, biological sleep patterns make it natural for adolescents to not be able to fall asleep before 11 p.m., and although they require over nine hours of sleep a night to be at their best, just 15 percent reported sleeping at least eight-and-a-half hours on school nights.

Teenagers also have irregular sleep patterns that affect their biological clocks, hurt the quality of their sleep, and impair their ability to drive, even during the day.
While older drivers often face similar issues due to late nights and early work schedules, their accident rates were not as high, perhaps because they have more experience dealing with fatigue, the researchers found.

Contact a knowledgeable Illinois Personal Injury Lawyer

If you were injured in an automobile accident involving a fatigued driver, contact the Illinois accident attorneys at Kelly Law Offices, LLC online or call 1-800-859-8800 to schedule your free initial consultation today.