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Drowsy Driving Car Crashes in Colorado Springs

Colorado Springs Tired Driving Accident Law Firm

In Colorado Springs and around the nation, fatigued driving is an issue. Each year, drowsy driving is a factor in roughly 100,000 accidents throughout the country. Every year, between 700 and 800 people die as a result of this.

Each year, about 1,000 tired driving accidents occur in Colorado. However not all fatigue- related collisions are likely recorded. Given the other driver’s complete lack of control over their car and that you were not anticipating the second car to behave in such an unpredictable manner, these collisions are usually severe.

Here are a few reasons why tired driving is such an issue in Colorado Springs. Long, desert roads that are cut off from the rest of the world.

Long expanses of roads outside of Colorado Springs aid in keeping drivers alert. When there are few other cars in the vicinity, it might be tough to concentrate in the desert. If a motorist is already weary, poorly illuminated roads with lengthy straightaways will exacerbate the situation.

In the desert, there are few stimulants to keep a driver alert. While drivers should pull over to the side of the road to relax, there are few places to do so on a desert route.

In general, darker environments make it simpler for a motorist who is already fatigued to fall asleep. When there is less on the road to distract them, their reflexes may slow down. The route becomes more favorable to driver tiredness the farther one travels outside of Colorado Springs. This is particularly evident when one drives between Colorado Springs and Tucson via more sparsely inhabited regions.

THE HOT & Cold WEATHER IN COLORADO SPRINGS

Furthermore, even when drivers have had an adequate sleep, the hot temperature in Colorado Springs might exhaust them. When drivers do not get adequate rest, the issue may worsen, increasing the danger of tired driving.

One research found that the risk of car accidents increases by 3% on exceptionally hot days, and we have enough of them in Colorado Springs. On hot days, the likelihood of a driver’s performance fault causing an accident rises by 7%. The chance of an accident caused by a driving error increased by 1.1 per cent for every degree Celsius as the temperature rose. Rain and snow aren’t the only types of bad weather that cause car accidents.

A motorist might be exhausted on a hot day. When their bodies are weary, they have a difficult time focusing. When a motorist is hot and thirsty, fatigue is more likely to strike. Due to heat-induced weariness, they may drift out of their lane and fail to respond in time to prevent an accident.

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DUE TO COLORADO SPRINGS’ EXPANSIVE ENVIRONS, LONGER DRIVES

ARE REQUIRED.

The Colorado Springs metropolitan region is one of the most dispersed in the nation. There are 4,850 miles of roads in the city alone, and it doesn’t include the huge surrounding regions. Travelling from one end of the city to the other may take well over an hour.

Driver weariness will increase as they travel greater distances. Drivers are more prone to get weary when car rides last an hour instead of ten minutes.

Colorado Springs commuters will travel an average of 23 miles to work each day. They may travel considerable miles to and from athletic and cultural events if they reside outside the metropolis. As a result, they will have more opportunities to drive later at night. Because of the city’s spread-out character, people will be up at all hours of the night.

DRIVERS FOR RIDESHARING SERVICES

In Colorado Springs, ridesharing businesses are major businesses. While the ridesharing firms do not disclose the number of yearly passengers in the Valley, they boast about their economic effect on Colorado Springs. Lyft stated in a recent report that it had a $59 million economic effect on Colorado Springs. At the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve one year (before ridesharing numbers took off), there were 625 individuals in Uber cars, according to Uber.

The vast majority of Uber and Lyft journeys take place outside of business hours. Instead, many utilize these services to travel about late at night, after they’ve had a few drinks or after they’ve returned from a sports event. As a result, a large number of rideshare drivers work the night shift.

These might be folks who worked full-time during the day and are now attempting to supplement their income at night. They are often exhausted at night on the road since they do not get enough sleep during the day. This implies that drivers are “deadheading” at night, hunting for rides even when tired.

DIFFICULTY IN GETTING AROUND

Colorado Springs’ public transportation system is younger and less comprehensive than those of other big cities. People do not board a Valley Light Rail train or bus late at night, as they do in New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles. They will get in their car if they do not contact an Uber.

People who want to remain on the road have fewer alternatives, and unlike other big cities, Colorado Springs does not have a strong public transportation culture. The light rail system does not operate beyond 11 p.m., pushing cars onto the road when they are most exhausted.

TRAFFIC CONGESTION FROM HEAVY TRUCKS

Even though federal regulations prohibit truckers from driving for more than eight hours in a row, this does nothing to prevent drowsy truck driving. Drivers will travel late at night, when there is the least amount of traffic on the road, to cover as much area as possible. This is when they will be the most exhausted, since there is no guarantee that they slept during their free time.

Due to its position as a Southwest hub, Colorado Springs sees a lot of truck traffic. In

addition, numerous drivers pass through the city on their journey to the rest of the nation from Southern California ports. Because of the increased truck traffic, there are more drivers on Colorado Springs roadways late at night, increasing the risk of an accident caused by a tired truck driver.

WHY IS DRIVING WHILE TIRED SO DANGEROUS?

Driving when tired is just as hazardous as driving while inebriated. Because they may be driving similarly, many police officers may pull over a tired motorist on suspicion of drunk driving. They are having trouble keeping in their lane and maybe drifting all over the road.

Officers determined that the motorist was not intoxicated but fatigued after conducting a traffic check and administering a Breathalyzer test. Even so, a drowsy motorist might be fined for irresponsible driving. However, this only works if an officer notices the driver’s behavior and pulls him over. Many fatigued drivers cause collisions before a police officer notices them.

The statistics on the consequences of driving when tired are startling. Drivers perform worse behind the wheel the longer they go without sleep. It’s the same as driving with a.08 blood alcohol concentration after 20 hours without sleep. In Colorado, this is the legal limit for drunk driving.

It rises to the equivalent of a.10 BAC when they go 24 hours without sleeping. This is the same as being legally drunk.

FATIGUED DRIVERS MAKE THE FOLLOWING MISTAKES:

Tired drivers are more prone to:

  • Doze off for a few moments (micro sleep)
  • Forgetting to conduct something as basic as signaling a turn
  • Drive the wrong way down a one-way street due to a lack of visibility. Drive with less vigilance.
  • Quickness to go home before falling asleep.

They drive erratically because they are unable to regulate their emotions. Make bad judgments since their judgement is impaired due to exhaustion

All of these factors raise the chance of an accident and put other drivers in danger. Even while we strongly advise drivers to obtain enough rest before getting behind the wheel, there will always be some who believe they can make it without falling asleep. These are the individuals who become statistics. The issue is that well-rested drivers surround them.

Simply by being in the wrong location at the wrong time with the wrong driver, you might become a statistic.

MICROSLEEP CAN BE DESTRUCTIVE

Even a few seconds of drowsiness behind the wheel is quite harmful. It just takes a few seconds for your car to go the length of a football field when driving on the highway. You may miss the car stopped in front of you or a bend in the road by the time you regain full awareness.

Even a small moment of dozing off might result in a serious disaster, particularly while travelling at high speeds. A significant accident might be caused by a single erroneous motion or a missing stimulus.

Of course, tired drivers are more likely to be careless. When they make a mistake, they are more prone to act in a way that is illogical under the circumstances. It makes no difference if someone finds out later that they didn’t get enough sleep.

The simple fact that they drifted out of lane or rear-ended another car is enough to convict them of negligence. Their deeds are the ultimate expression of their exhaustion. The reason for the collision does not necessarily matter if they swerve into your lane and drive you off the road. They will be judged to be irresponsible.

TRUCK ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY TIRED DRIVING

If a truck driver was fatigued when the accident occurred, the stakes of your lawsuit might arise. Federal regulations prohibit them from driving too many miles in a row and require them to take breaks. Tired truck drivers may have broken the regulations. Drivers are required to maintain records of their driving time. However, these might be falsified by employers or drivers.

The driving logs and the car’s black box are two of the first items a truck accident lawyer will request. If the motorist has repeatedly broken a federal regulation, you may have a case for punitive damages, albeit they are very unusual.

In the meanwhile, the trucking firm would be liable for the activities of its drivers. The damages would have to be covered by their insurance coverage. You might pursue the trucking company’s assets if its insurance coverage was insufficient to cover your injuries. The trucking firm will want to avoid this at all costs since it might put them out of business.

WHY DO YOU NEED A LAWYER IN A FATIGUED DRIVING CASE IN COLORADO SPRINGS?

Because the driver has likely lost control of their car or collided with another car fast, fatigued driving accidents are more serious than normal collisions. Because the injuries are more significant, this typically implies you’re dealing with greater numbers in a claim or lawsuit.

As a result, you’ll need a lawyer to ensure that you are paid what you’re legally entitled to, rather than being taken advantage of by the insurance company.

If you were in an accident with a tired driver, your main concern would be getting the appropriate amount of damages rather than establishing culpability since the other driver’s fault would be more obvious. A settlement offer does not always imply that you will win since it may be for pennies on the dollar.

Negotiating with the insurance company to get adequate money may take some time. They’re probably aware that they’ll have to make a big check, particularly if the catastrophic accident. This is why you should hire an attorney to defend your legal rights. Every day, professional Colorado Springs car accident lawyers do just that.

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