The Winston-Salem,  North Carolina police department held a news briefing this week and talked at length about the most dangerous times to be on the roads and why. 

According to Officer Richardson in the Winston-Salem police department, the hours between 12 am and 6 am are the most hazardous times to be driving in the area. He stated that there are three primary reasons this is so: drunk driving, distracted drivers and drowsy drivers.

The city has had several recent incidents late at night involving driver fatigue, he said. One of those involved a tractor trailer driver who fell asleep and flipped on US 52 north near the I-40 exit. No one was seriously hurt in that tractor trailer crash, but the accident highlights the danger of driver fatigue.

Richardson also pointed out at the press conference that distracted driving has led to accidents at night as well; the most common distractions today are using a cell phone, eating, checking the GPS and changing the radio. Drivers who are distracted often end up speeding because they are distracted and not paying attention to the road.

Our View

Whether you are driving a tractor trailer or a regular car, distracted and drowsy driving is extremely dangers. Our Virginia and North Carolina personal injury attorneys have worked on terrible car and truck crashes due to both drowsy and distracted drivers. We implore all drivers to never get distracted behind the wheel. This goes double for tractor trailer drivers who are driving a huge rig that can almost obliterate some smaller cars in a crash. Here’s how to avoid distracted driving: 

• Focus totally on your driving, and never allow anything to take your attention from the road.
• Store all loose gear in the car that could distract you while the vehicle is in motion.
• Make any adjustments to your vehicle before you start driving, such as changing the seat position or programming the GPS.
• Put away all electronic distractions when you are driving. Never use a cell phone when you are driving.
• If you have passengers, make sure they are not distracted you from driving.

Tractor trailer drivers also should make sure that they are getting the sleep they need so that they are not driving drowsy.

When truckers and other drivers are drowsy or distracted, fatal crashes can result. Our personal injury lawyers have settled many wrongful death lawsuits for millions dollars. That money helps the devastated family, but far better would be if drivers would be well rested and pay attention to their driving.