Driving While Drowsy Research Paper

How many people die every year from car accidents? How many of those people qualify as careless teenagers? Nearly 1.3 million people die each year in car accidents, which is on average 3,287 deaths per day. Young drivers between the ages of fifteen and twenty account for sixty percent of these accidents. For almost a century, the age for teenagers to be allowed to drive on public roads without supervision has been sixteen, resulting in a higher death rate due to the carelessness of young drivers in the United States. For example, as stated by the Free Personal Injury Help Center, one in every three teens says they text or email while driving: the number one cause of deaths among all drivers. The amount of young and old drivers on the road

Distracted driving can branch in several different categories, including, eating and driving, texting, playing with the radio, adjusting controls in the vehicles, having too many people in the vehicle, possibly having a pet in the car also, or drinking and driving. Distracted driving leading into the even larger mistakes that can take a life which are speeding, making the choice to take that text, or looking away from the road for just a second. Any of these mistakes can result in a loss of a loved one.

Background and Audience Relevance: According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2015, about thirty-five hundred people were killed, and four hundred thousand were injured in car crashes.

What do you think is the #1 cause of car crashes and accidents in the world? The obvious answer would be driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Wrong. The main source of death for young drivers is currently texting while driving, not drinking or drugs, with almost twelve teenagers passing on every day in a messaging related auto accident.

The amount of car accidents that happen each year continue to increase. This continues to happen because of the number of people who consistently drive distracted everyday. This is due to a surplus of reasons, however, many fall subject to driving distracted because they prioritize their cell phones more than what is happening on the road in front of them.

Driving under the influence and Distracted driving are the biggest ones, however reporting distracted driving is difficult in fatal crashes is difficult to determine since “information pointing to distraction is gathered through self-reporting, witness testimony, and evidence indicating distraction” (GHOS). Those two make up roughly 400 of the fatalities in 2015. Speeding is another huge cause for many crashes whether it’s from being reckless to just being distracted and not noticing. Speed plays a part in both of the other causes, and it played a part in 19% of crashes in 2015. A huge amount of these fatalities not only come between drivers, but also with a singular driver hitting and killing a pedestrian. Many things have been tried to reduce these major causes of the crashes such as stricter enforcement of speed and driving under the influence. Campaigns have been launched to reduce distracted driving, targeting those heavy phone users and even car manufacturers joining in.

Speeding takes a huge role in many teen crashes that result in fatalities. Going faster than the posted speed limit on a road, means that you are increasing your chances of crashing exponentially. In 2012, 21 % of serious teen crashes were a direct result of going too fast for the road. By going over the speed limit you are not only going too fast for the given roads conditions but you are also increasing the amount of time you will need to stop your vehicle in the event of an obstacle in the road.

As a future sleep technician, and a person who has suffered personally from the aftermath of a friend falling asleep at the wheel, the topic of "drowsy driving" is one concerns me. Studies show that there has been a significant rise in sleep-related crashes since the initiation of Maggie's Law in 2003, but only one recorded

Distracting driving is a common occurrence with modern day drivers. Due to technological advances making electronics so easy to use on the go, many find themselves spending more time looking at their cell phone or navigation system than they do looking at the road. According to the NHTSA, distracted driving claimed the lives of 3,477 people in 2015 alone. Texting and driving is a common distraction, especially when it comes to the younger generation of drivers. Young drivers are oblivious to the dangers of what seems like such a harmless act. Studies have shown that one 1 in 4 accidents are caused by texting and driving. The number of people injured from distracted drivers in 2015 was 391,000. Over half of the nation’s car accidents are a result of texting and driving. Whereas drinking and driving may kill more people, the leading cause of car accidents is in fact texting and driving.

On September 9, a man driving a Ford Mustang going roughly 70 to 80 miles per hour on Homestead Pass crashed into the flatbed trailer of a semi-truck. The man, who was seriously injured and died several days after the accident, may have fallen asleep at the wheel, which would explain his speed and why he did not stop before hitting the trailer.

1. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, distracted driving contributes to up to 8,000 crashes every single day.

Distracted Driving-  Distracted driving is a leading cause of all accidents today, but especially prevalent in winter accidents. Winter weather requires more attention to the roads and other vehicles on the road. The top distractions include cell phones, car radios, food, pets and even conversations with others in the vehicle. When combined with winter conditions, it only takes a momentary distraction to cause catastrophic

Speeding is defined as the act or an instance of driving, especially a motor vehicle, faster than is allowed by law. Speeding is often one component of aggressive driving which is defined as committing a combination of moving traffic offenses so as to endanger other persons or property. There are strong direct relationships between the speed at which we drive and the risk of crash involvement and the injuries sustained if a crash results. The probability of injury and the severity of those injuries increases exponentially with vehicle speed. Even small increases in speeds result in a large increase in the forces experienced by the vehicle occupants or other road users. Put simply, the faster you drive, the harder you hit and the more severe the injuries you or someone else are likely to suffer. Traveling over the speed limit can be especially dangerous in bad weather conditions. Speeding was a factor in 53 percent of fatal crashes that occurred when there was snow or slush on

In summary, it cannot be said that exact cause of most severe traffic accidents are known with certainty but it is believed that speeding and drinking, jointly or separately, play some role in the events that lead up to those accidents. Also to blame, in many instances, are the design of the highway, the condition of the weather, the maintenance of the vehicle, the time of the day (many severe accidents occur at dusk, with poor lighting and tired drivers), and the presence of radar detectors. A study by the Ohio State Police found that radar detectors were present in at least one of the vehicles involved in 69% of all severe traffic accidents on the highways of that state in 2005. Studies in other states have confirmed that finding, with some estimates of the relationship running as high as 75%.

Third reason of accidents on the road is teenage drivers. “2,739 teenagers died in car accidents in the United States during 2008 ", (drivesteady.com). Some teenagers cause fatal accidents, because of immaturity and lack of experience. Teenagers are very impulsive. Although not intending to hurt anyone, they sometimes drive very aggressively. It is not difficult to find teenagers driving with one hand on the steering wheel, seat pushed back, and with loud music playing. In traffic they go wild, trying to seek attention. They underestimate the risk of what they are doing. All these acts result in serious consequences on the road. Many accidents of young drivers result from their own mistakes.