Driving While Drowsy Research Paper

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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%.

Distracted driving has been the most recent cause of accidents on the road presently. Of course there are many other reasons why drivers get into accidents, but it is mainly because they get distracted. Police in El Cerrito, California even gave more than 600 citations in April to drivers for distracted driving violations (“El Cerrito”).Also,“nearly 6,000 people were killed and a half-million injured last year in the U.S. due to drivers being distracted”(“Distracted”).Distracted driving today causes many accidents through the use of technology, eating and drinking, and children in the backseat.

1.3 million people die in road crashes each year, on average 3,287 deaths a day. Thats a lot maybe if people weren't going as fast maybe that number would be cut in half. In 2014 9,967 people died in drunk driving crashes. An estimated amount said that on deadly car crash happens every 53 minutes. 290,000 people were injured in drunk driving crashes.

Speeding is one of the most common reasons for death. Even though there are accidents on a daily, imagine if there was no speed limitations. Speed limitation is so important that it should be a bigger law. For example the fine should be raised higher. The next time you are driving just remember of the fine you will receive.

Reckless or negligent driving. Speeding and aggressive driving to get to an open parking space, distracted driving while texting or looking for a space, and failure to observe signs all contribute to cars injuring

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.

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.

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

Car accidents can happen to drivers anytime, anywhere. "According to the National Safety Council, which stated that more than 2.5 million collisions back every year, making it the most common type of car accidents, it is also known that the accident rear end as incidents of injury, because the nature of the collision leads often in whiplash injury the driver in the car in front and about 20% of people who participated in a rear collision injury symptoms of this kind. ", (NHTSA, auto-accident-resource.com). Among the car accidents, the teenage group is the only age group who is number of deaths is increasing instead of decreasing. Also, all the people are exposed to risk and actually every one of them has got car