How Many Road Accidents Are Caused By Driver Fatigue?

Fatigued driving, also known as drowsy driving, refers to operating a vehicle while tired or sleep-deprived. Many factors, including working long hours, medication side effects, and other physical or mental conditions, can cause fatigued driving. 

Fatigued driving is especially prevalent among commercial truck drivers. The reason for its high prevalence is their work conditions, including working long hours and being under pressure to meet deadlines. 

While there are federal laws to curb overworking among truckers, driver fatigue is among the leading causes of accidents on American roads.

What the Statistics Say About Fatigued Driving

The most common symptom of fatigued driving is drowsiness. According to data from the NHTSA, drowsy driving accounts for over 100,000 car crashes every year and approximately 50,000 injuries. 

Of the total injuries, around 700 are fatal, accounting for almost 2% of all traffic fatalities. Sadly all these injuries and deaths occur under circumstances that are 100% avoidable.

Fatigued Driver Truck Accidents

Most private car drivers rarely take drives that will have them on the road all day. Also, there is rarely pressure to get to a destination at a specific time, so most will take breaks during the ride, which helps reduce fatigue.

On the other hand, truck drivers often work on tight schedules and are required to meet specific deadlines in delivery. As a result, they are more likely to be on the road longer, increasing the chances of fatigue. According to a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) report, 13% of all truck accidents in 2018 involved fatigued driving and accounted for over 4,000 crashes. 

Unfortunately, a truck accident caused by fatigued driving can cause serious property damage, severe injuries, or deaths. The good news is that you may be able to recover compensation if you get into a truck accident caused by a fatigued driver. 

However, you will need to involve a truck accident lawyer to help you get maximum compensation for your injuries, especially if the fatigue resulted from a violation of federal trucking rules.

Federal Rules Meant to Reduce Fatigued Driving for Truckers

The role of regulating the safety of commercial vehicles lies with FMCSA, a branch of the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT). FMCSA's role includes establishing rules designed to reduce the risk of fatigued driving among truckers. 

The first regulation is the Hours of Service (HOS) rule, which limits the maximum hours a trucker can drive in a day or week. For example, the HOS rule specifies that a truck driver operating a commercial motor vehicle must not go after for over 14 hours. 

The rule also stipulates that a driver must take a break of at least 30 minutes after 8 hours of driving. After 14 hours, they must take a rest of at least 10 hours. 

Also, a driver is limited to driving 60 hours in seven consecutive days or 70 hours in eight days. After seven or eight days of driving, the driver resets the driving limit to zero after a 34-hour break, roughly a day and a half. 

The FMCSA also requires all vehicles to have electronic logging devices (ELDs) that track a driver's service hours. ELDs automatically record a driver's service hours and provide an accurate record of a driver's on-duty and driving time. The logs become critical in determining if the truck driver gets into an accident.

Remedies for Fatigued Driving

The best remedy for avoiding a fatigued driving accident is avoiding being on the road whenever you feel too tired to drive. Even when you may not feel as tired, after 14 hours of non-stop driving will put you at a greater risk of fatigue, so it's best to take breaks. 

Modern trucks come with technologies that help detect when a driver is tired. These technologies rely on sensors that track eye movements, breathing patterns, and yawning to determine when a driver is exhausted and alert them in time to avoid an accident.

If you do not have the technology, you could look for the symptoms yourself. Some signs of fatigued driving include; frequent yawning, drifting in and out of sleep, and missing turns, which should indicate that you need to get off the road.

(Disclaimer: Devdiscourse's journalists were not involved in the production of this article. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Devdiscourse and Devdiscourse does not claim any responsibility for the same.)