San Jose Personal Injury Attorneys

Even as there has been success in reducing the number of people killed annually in other types of traffic accidents, there has been little success in reducing the number of motorcycle fatalities. A new report by the Governors Highway Safety Association finds that those fatality numbers actually continue to climb. In fact, there is no reason to believe that this high-fatality trend will reverse any time soon.

It's very distressing to San Jose personal injury lawyers to see that the number of motorcyclists being killed in accidents continues to increase, in spite of all efforts to educate motorcyclists as well as motorists about the former’s rights on the road. According to the Governors’ Highway Safety Association’s projected data, as many as 5000 motorcyclists were killed in accidents in America in 2012, which accounted for an increase of 9% from 2011. The Governors’ Highway Safety Association’s projected estimate of motorcycle accident fatalities in 2012 is based on data taken individually from states during the first 9 months of 2012. The final estimate for the year is expected to mirror this number.

Those numbers are expected to spike over the next few weeks as we head into summer, and the busiest motorcycling season of the year. More people are likely to head out on their motorcycles in the warm weather, not realizing or oblivious to the fact that their risk of being involved in a fatal accident is the highest at this time of year.

Ironically enough, the improving economy is likely to mean an increased fatality rate for motorcyclists. As the economy recovers, and more people find that their jobs afford them enough security to allow the kind of disposable income needed to buy a motorcycle for recreational purposes, more registered motorcycles are likely to appear on the roads.

A sleep disorder called sleep apnea is one of the main contributing factors in driver fatigue affecting truck drivers. A truck driver who is fatigued is at a much higher risk for being involved in accidents. A new study indicates to San Jose truck accident lawyers that certain drivers may be at a higher risk of contracting sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which there are breathing interruptions during sleep. A person may suffer several pauses while breathing, and may wake up several times during the night, causing fatigue and sleepiness next day.

The results of the study have been published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. According to the researchers, their studies show that African-Americans may be at a much higher risk of sleep apnea compared to Caucasian males.

The study found that African-American males below the age of 40 had their apnea-hypopnea index increase by 3. 21 breathing pauses per hour of sleep compared to a white man of the same age and of the same body mass index.

However, in the case of African-American men between the age of 50 and 59 years, the apnea- hypopnea index increased by 2.79 breathing pauses per hour of sleep. A total of 512 patients who had been studied at the Detroit Receiving Hospital Sleep Disorders Center between July 1996 and February 1999, were included in the study. All subjects in the study were a minimum of 18 years of age, and had an apnea- hypopnea greater than 5 breathing events per hour.

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, sleep apnea is a fairly common sleep disorder that affects at least 4% of males and 2% of females. Obesity is also a high risk factor for sleep apnea. Truck drivers may be at a much higher risk for sleep apnea because they are at a higher risk for obesity, which is one of the predictors for sleep apnea.