According to the Centers for Disease Control, along with DUI and along with distracted driving, driving while tired or drowsy driving is a major issue. Aside from the possibility of falling asleep at the wheel, drowsy driving can impact your ability to pay attention to the road, slow reaction time, and affect the ability to make decisions. In the previous 30 days, 1 in 25 adults reported falling asleep at the wheel. According to the NHTSA, drowsy driving was responsible for 72,000 crashes that caused 44,000 injuries and 800 deaths in 2013. However, these numbers may be underestimated because drowsy driving is not always reported as a factor in accident reports.
The Bedford-Katonah New York Patch reports that a fatal accident on I-684 injured 5 people.
The crash happened at about 11 a.m. on New Year’s Day in the Town of Bedford on Interstate 684.
49-year-old Maribel Mota was driving a 2019 Toyota Corolla northbound on the interstate near mile marker 11.2 when she fell asleep at the wheel. The car drifted off-road into the left guide rail. The car then drifted across all lanes into the right guard rail.
The Corolla then went into a spin and overturned, crossing all lanes once more before hitting the left guard rail again.
Mota and her passenger, 29-year-old Maria Mota, both suffered from minor injuries.
Three children in the rear seats were not wearing seatbelts and sustained serious injuries. The injuries were not thought to be life-threatening.
Two of the children, a 16-year-old and an 8-year-old were ejected from the vehicle. A 12-year-old in the vehicle was not ejected.
Police say that the crash is still being investigated.
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