The National Safety Council has designated November 4 -November 11 as Drowsy Driving Prevention Week 2018. While it may come as a surprise to some, drowsy driving is a serious issue and one that we would all do well to be aware of.

Roughly 20 percent of surveyed individuals have admitted to falling asleep at the wheel in the past year and over 40 percent admitting that it's happened at least once since they've been driving. It was estimated that about 5,000 people were killed in car crashes in 2015 as a result of drowsy driving.

Driving drowsy is similar to driving intoxicated, as they both significantly impair judgment and slow reaction times. In fact, going more than 20 hours without sleep is roughly the same as driving with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent, the legal limit in the United States.

There are five main ways that we can reduce the risks of drowsy driving:

1. Sleep: The simplest solution is just to ensure that you are getting, at the very least, seven hours of sleep every night to prevent drowsiness behind the wheel.
2. University interventions: Students are at an incredibly high risk for drowsy driving given the taxing schedules of college. Special programs aimed at educating college students about the risks of drowsy driving could help to significantly cut the number of accidents as a result.
3. Crash avoidance technology: Manufacturers are beginning to offer drowsy driving detection capabilities in their vehicles to spot signs of drowsy drivers and alert them to their status of increased risk.
4. Employers: Workplaces advocate that workers get sufficient sleep in order to perform their job duties fully, as well as prevent the risks of drowsy driving.
5. Medication labels: Many drugs have drowsy effects on people and can cause considerable risks for driving. Read your drug labels completely to make sure you aren't taking unnecessary risks by getting behind the wheel.

By being aware of the risks and causes of drowsy driving, we can help to cut a significant amount of potentially deadly accidents. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident involving a drowsy driver, please contact the law offices of Hupy and Abraham at 800-800-5678, or live chat at hupy.com to discuss further action.

For more information visit www.hupy.com