A new study by the U.S. Department of Transportation looks at the relationship between sleep deprivation and crash risk in the general driving population. More specifically, this study examines crashes that occurred in the United States between 2005 and 2007 involving at least one vehicle towed due to damage and an emergency medical services dispatch. Part of the investigations into each accident involved an assessment of the drivers’ recent sleep. The study included more than 7,200 drivers who were involved in over 4,500 crashes.
The results of the study showed that drivers who usually slept for less than five hours daily, drivers who slept for less than seven hours in the past 24 hours, drivers who slept for one or more hours less than their usual amount of sleep in the past 24 hours have much higher crash rates than other drivers. Using the general recommendation that healthy adults should sleep for at least seven hours per day, the data indicated that driving after only four or five hours of sleep is similar to the risk of crashing of a driver with a blood alcohol concentration equal to or slightly above the legal limit for alcohol. Those drivers who slept for four hours or less had much higher crash rates than other drivers.
More specifically, when a driver had less than four hours of sleep in the past 24 hours, he or she had 11.5 times the crash rate as a driver who had slept for seven hours or more. Likewise, if a driver had between four and five hours of sleep, he or she had 4.3 times the crash rate as a driver who had slept for seven hours or more. A driver with between five and six hours of sleep had a crash rate that was 1.9 times that of a driver who had slept for seven hours or more, and a driver with between six and seven hours of sleep had a crash rate that was 1.3 times that of a driver who had slept for seven hours or more.
When a motor vehicle accident occurs for any reason and causes injury to a passenger or driver of another vehicle, the injured individual may have a claim for damages under Wisconsin law. However, determining the cause of the accident that led to your injuries is not always as straightforward as it might seem. Since it may take some time to sort these matters out, and you only have a limited timeframe in which to a file a personal injury claim, you should take immediate action to get legal help. Don’t delay in calling the Madison personal injury attorneys of Boller & Vaughan in order to set up your free consultation today.
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We live in Friendship, Wisconsin, and Boller & Vaughan came to our doorstep to discuss our mother’s wrongful death claim on a Saturday morning. Not only were we pleased with the large recovery, we were so thankful to have lawyers who were willing to explain to us every twist and turn along the way. It is great to know there is a law firm that will fight for the rights of elderly people all over Wisconsin.
Mr. Boller and Ms. Vaughan were incredible in working on my case and my daughter’s case. I was out of work and in the hospital with a new baby. Mr. Boller and Ms. Vaughan protected our rights and it was a pleasure to work with them. I hope never to be in another motor vehicle accident, however, if I am and I am injured, I will contact Boller & Vaughan immediately.
I was referred to Michelle through a friend. I have never had a better experience. It took a little over a year to get my settlement but the staff there stayed in constant contact and kept me in the loop. Oh, and Michelle actually got me MORE money than we discussed. I will refer anyone to this firm. Words cannot do justice the thanks that I have for Michelle and her staff (Mary especially) thank you guys so much!
After my husband died as a result of a motor vehicle accident, Boller & Vaughan spent countless hours talking with me, meeting with me in person, and making sure that I was okay. The drunk driver who hit us did not have any insurance, and we had to make a claim through our own insurance. Boller & Vaughan was fantastic at explaining the law to me and the handling of our claims.
After my son was injured in a daycare setting, Ms. Vaughan took the time to thoroughly investigate our case and my son’s injuries. Michele was approachable and had answers to our questions. Talking with her helped to relieve many of our anxieties.
