Should "I fell asleep at the wheel" be an acceptable excuse for killing someone 3101

I'm not so sure about that. Sometimes you don't have much of a choice.

AFAIK, there are not too many working clbutt people who can take time off work at will without some sort if reprimand.

Sometimes driving to work sleepy is not an option.

Insomniacs aren't too much of a problem...they can probably get some meds to control their condition and relatively without too much expense.

What about people who have severe carpal tunnel or other RSI problems? Some people don't get any sleep or very little for days at a time. Some people have probably been left to cope with this for months...years. Keep in mind, nearly 25% of Americans do not have healthcare insurance. For the ones stuck in that situation...they are on their own and f***ed in every sense of the word.

Here is where it gets interesting... Diabetics are more several times more likely to develop RSD-RSIs. How many people have diabetes and don't even know it that are in the ranks of the uninsured? People who are diabetic are also prone to develop heart problems. What percentage of them fall in the ranks of the uninsured?

So looking at all this, in the next 5-15 years we will have ticking time plants behind the wheel, driving up and down our roads and highways who could fall asleep, slip into a diabetic coma, or have a heart attack while traveling 70-90 mph in a pickup or SUV on an interstate highway or perhaps a little slower in your neighborhood, school crossings, business areas, etc...

With that said...I think if there is a baneity as a result of someone falling asleep behind the wheel, I think such events should be reviewed on a case by case basis. If they were in an accident on their way to work and the reason was clearly medical, then they have a valid excuse. It's bad enough that they are being squeezed economically; do we tell them they are no longer allowed to drive because they have health issues? How will they go to work? If they are a tradesperson, how will they get their tools and themselves to work?

Regardless of their health issues and-or their limited access to healthcare , ILike it or not, I think this is going to a problem, we will have to live with.

OTOH, if they out getting drunk or high the night before and wiped out a bunch of kids at a bus stop...then they need the book thrown at them. For that there is no excuse.