“Maggie`s Law” was named after Maggie McDonnell, a 20-year-old student who died in 1997 when a vehicle driven by Michael Coleman swerved into three lanes and hit her car. Before Maggie`s Law, McDonnell said, tired driving wasn`t taken seriously. The driver who killed Maggie got away with a $200 fine. Kevin Roper, the truck driver accused of causing the toll crash that killed McNair and took four other people, including Morgan, to the hospital early Saturday morning, has been charged with death by car and four counts of assaulting the car. Initial police reports indicate that he had been awake for 24 hours at the time of the accident. Trucking industry regulations state that drivers must not be on the road for more than 11 hours, and the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident. “In memory of Maggie McDonnell, we are closing the loophole that allowed sleep-deprived drivers to take a life and get away with it.” WASHINGTON TWP. Nearly 17 years after Maggie McDonnell died in a head-on collision, the Tired Driving Act that bears her name has been reinstated. The first jury was stuck. During the second trial, defense attorneys argued that there was no state law prohibiting falling asleep at the wheel and that the motorist did nothing wrong. The judge refused to allow the jury to deal with the issue of sleep deprivation.

AKA “Maggie`s Law”, valid from 2003. The law considers “knowingly tired driving to be reckless” and defines “without sleep for a period of more than 24 consecutive hours.” (New Jersey Legislature, 2002). Sleep-deprived drivers who cause fatal crashes now face criminal penalties, which went into effect Tuesday in New Jersey. Scientists say much of America needs a good night`s sleep. “I know the industry is pushing him,” McDonnell said. “But I don`t know if the truckers will follow.” “We hope this will stimulate educational initiatives.” A few weeks ago, New Jersey was identified as one of the states with the lowest number of teen deaths. A rigorous graduate driver`s license program and laws like Maggie`s Law can be cited as the reason for this. While there is still no test that can prove whether a driver has actually been compromised by sleep deprivation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has given the University of Iowa a $1 million contract to develop such a device, but presumably it would take years for it to become a reality.

“People aren`t ready to admit they fell asleep behind the wheel and will say they dodged to avoid a deer, dog or ice patch when they go off the road,” said Robert Gaydosh, spokesman for the New Jersey Division of Highway Safety. McDonnell is a member of the Gloucester County Road Safety Task Force. Every year, the group organizes a competition in which high school students make short public videos about traffic problems. McDonnell wasn`t on the jury this year, but for the first time ever, the winner was a video about driver fatigue. Carole McDonnell of Washington Township holds a photo of her daughter Maggie in a photo taken 3 days before her death by a driver who fell asleep at the wheel in this 2002 file photo. While federal researchers point out that the data comes from police reports, they suspect the numbers may actually be higher. “This is the first law that specifically addresses the issue of drowsy driving, making it a criminal offence. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that at least 100,000 crashes and 1,535 fatalities a year are caused by tired drivers. Studies show that sleep deprivation can affect a person`s vision and coordination. State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, a key player in passing Maggie`s bill, issued a statement about the crash. “It took his death to raise awareness of the dangers of driver fatigue,” she said. “It was like driving drunk.

Years ago, people didn`t take drunk driving seriously. They didn`t take texting and driving seriously. But all these things interfere with driving. Maggie`s Law is a unique law that exists only in the state of New Jersey. It is a law that says drivers are not allowed to knowingly drive a vehicle while impaired by lack of sleep. If they cause a death, drivers who do not get enough rest can be prosecuted for homicide. Other states such as New York, Illinois, and Kentucky are considering similar laws. “Maggie was just starting her adult life when she did. came to an abrupt halt,” McGreevey said at a ceremony attended by Carol McDonnell, who fought for the law after her daughter`s death in 1997. “At the very least, sleep deprivation is huge,” said Joyce Walsleben, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at New York University Medical Center.

The bill, signed by Gov. James E. McGreevey, allows prosecutors to charge a sleep-deprived driver with homicide, which carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine. Now, Maggie`s mother hopes the crash that killed writer and comedian James McNair and landed comedian Tracy Morgan in critical condition will draw national attention to driver fatigue. “Maggie`s Law is a very important step forward,” said Darrel Drobnich, senior director of government affairs at the National Sleep Foundation, a nonprofit research organization. The law defines a motorist who is sleepless for more than 24 consecutive hours as a reckless driver who can be charged with homicide in the event of an accident and faces up to 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine. “Every weekend there is at least one dead driver who was driving alone and went off the road at 2 a.m. We tend to think about sleep in these cases.

The National Sleep Foundation passed in 2003 and says, “This is the first law of its kind in the United States.” With sleepy driving reports, it`s easy to point out that it could be as bad or even worse than driving under the influence of alcohol, but there aren`t many laws like Maggie`s Law that make it illegal. Maggie passed away on September 2. In July 1997, at the age of 20, a female driver who had been woken up 30 hours earlier and had smoked crack cocaine the night before crossed the middle lane of White Horse Pike in Clementon and struck her car head-on. McGreevey cited a federal study that estimates that at least 100,000 crashes, 71,000 injuries and 1,500 deaths each year are the result of drivers falling asleep. Trending News 4 Idaho students were likely killed with “edged weapons”; No suspects in custody Trump announces he will run for president again in 2024 Kevin McCarthy wins GOP nomination for House Speaker UVA survivors don`t know her friends are dead, mother says King Charles wants Princess Anne and Prince Edward to be his deputies `People can focus on the wrong thing for too long`, Walsleben said. In response, Governor James E. McGreevey recently passed the Maggie Act, which makes New Jersey the first state in the country to ban drowsy driving. According to the AAA Mid-Atlantic region, 24 hours without sleep has an effect similar to a blood alcohol level of 0.10%, the legal threshold for drunk driving in New Jersey. “At least 30% or more of the population suffers from chronic sleep deprivation. Almost every survey will show this.

We burn the candle at both ends. We don`t realize we`re really paying a toll. “It was very high-profile when it happened,” she said. “It looks like shortly before the anniversary of his death, it`s first class again.” Her other work on the subject includes lectures on Maggie`s Law in the United States and abroad. The British Broadcasting Corp. even made a short documentary about the McDonnells and the legislation. While “sleepy driving” is not yet fully banned in every region of the country, agencies like the National Sleep Foundation, NHTSA, and AAA offer advice on how to overcome restless fatigue: © 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

“We are looking for local juries that consider sleep deprivation like drugs and alcohol,” he said. “The driver is entitled to his day in court, but if these allegations are true, it`s a surprising reminder of why `Maggie`s Law` was necessary in the first place.