Sleep-related Vehicle Accidents

Every year there are a number of accidents in the public transport sector.  These are sometimes caused by lack of sleep.  Data indicates that a lack of sleep and disrupted sleep rhythms contribute to major public health problems and road traffic accidents.

The average night’s sleep in the UK has fallen by 90 minutes a day and working hours have increased significantly in recent years. This in turn has led to concerns about performance and safety.  As people work longer hours they become tired and their reaction times and efficiency decrease.

Nine hours a night used to be the average amount of sleep and this has fallen to seven and a half hours recently and is significantly lower for many individuals.

There are currently no tests to measure or quantify the levels of sleepiness at the scene of road traffic accidents.  In a study of road traffic accidents, work related accidents and Sleep-related Vehicle Accidents (SRVAs) the Department of Transport considered sleepiness, weather conditions, alcohol levels, speeding and mechanical defects in a vehicle to all be contributory factors in the level of accidents.

However, government research has indicated that a fifth of all motorway collisions are caused when the driver falls asleep at the wheel.  It also found that one in then crashes on Britain’s roads generally are associated with fatigue.

The most common sleep-related accident involves one car running into the back of another and these type of accidents are likely to result in a serious personal injury.  In fact, SRVAs are more likely to result in serious injury than other types of road traffic accident.

If you have been involved in a SRVA which was not your fault you should seek the advice of a qualified and experience personal injury lawyer.