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Countermeasures That Work

Drowsy Driving


Overview

Drowsy driving is a prevalent safety concern resulting from lifestyle patterns. In 2021 some 684 people were killed in crashes involving a drowsy driver, representing 1.6% of all motor vehicle traffic crash fatalities (Stewart, 2023). Drowsy driving was reportedly involved in 1.8% of fatal crashes from 2017 to 2021 (NHTSA, 2023). Until recently, attention and research on drowsiness has primarily concentrated on commercial truck drivers, but the problem is far more widespread. In 2014 more than one-third of 444,306 respondents 18 and older in the United States reported sleeping less than 7 hours a day—the minimum sleep duration recommended for optimal well-being (Liu et al., 2016). The 2017 AAA Traffic Safety Culture Index found that more than 40% of 2,613 drivers reported getting less than 6 hours of sleep a night in a typical week (AAAFTS, 2018).