Straight Talk Law Blog: Stay Awake – Stay Safe By Seattle Personal Injury Lawyer Jason Epstein

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“Sleep easy” is a popular expression – but it obviously doesn’t apply when we’re behind the wheel.

While drunk driving and distracted driving are also big dangers on the road, drowsy driving is responsible for one in six car accidents that result in wrongful death. The AAA recently released a major research report on the problem that I write about in my new article, “Asleep at the Wheel.”

As a personal injury attorney in the Seattle, Washington area, I know how hard it is for people to cope with the tragic results of these kinds of car accidents – so I’d like to share a few tips on how to know when it’s time to pull over, because you’re just too tired to keep driving.

Here are a few warning signs:

Difficulty recalling the last few miles you drove
Your mind keeps wandering
Drifting from lane to lane, or hitting a rumble strip
Difficulty focusing and/or keeping your eyes open
It’s hard to hold your head up
Repeated yawning
Missing traffic signs
Driving too close to cars in front of you

These are all tell-tale signs that you may be too tired to drive – and that you should probably pull over at a safe place and get some rest before continuing on (or let someone else take the wheel, if another driver is in the car with you).

Many people try little “tricks” to try and stay awake, such as blasting the air conditioning, playing loud music, or opening the windows. These are simply not effective in keeping a driver alert for any extended period of time.

If you’re interested in seeing just how much you know (or don’t know) about sleep, the AAA has provided a fun quiz which you can take at http://www.aaafoundation.org/quizzes/index.cfm?button=drowsyquiz.

If we wake up to the dangers of drowsy driving, we can ensure safer roads for every motorist.

Please feel free to visit my website at www.straighttalklaw.com , where you can order free books on personal injury and wrongful death lawyers, Washington auto and motorcycle accidents, auto insurance, and other valuable legal information, offered as a public service by myself and my law practice in Seattle, Washington. I also invite all teens to take the pledge against texting and driving at www.teensagainstdistracteddriving.com.