Should `Drowsy Driver’ alerts be required in all cars?
Every year, there are over 1,000 traffic fatalities in New York state, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. The causes vary from speeding, drunk driving, intentional accidents, medical conditions, and falling asleep behind the wheel. Lately, drowsy driving has become the focus many lawsuits and even criminal prosecution.
In 2011, the driver of a Chinatown bus en route from Connecticut to New York was reportedly too tired to drive. The impaired reflexes of the drowsy driver caused the bus to strike a guardrail killing fifteen people and severely injuring others. Believing that the driver’s fatigue was to the level of criminality, prosecutors in the Bronx levied manslaughter and negligent homicide against the driver, Ophadell Williams.
While criminal prosecution for drowsy drivers is rare, the impact that fatigued drivers is very real. This past Friday, Martha Atwater, a Brooklyn Heights resident, was struck and killed by a car on Clinton Street near Atlantic Avenue. The driver allegedly lost control of his Honda Ridgeline due to either a medical condition or being too fatigued to drive.