Drowsy Driving Re-examined

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in the United States approximately 100,000 crashes, 71,000 injuries and 1,500 deaths result from drivers falling asleep at the wheel.  The AAA Foundation, in collaboration with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and LISBOA, Inc. , is conducting a survey of police officers in the U.S. and Canada to learn about officer's own drowsy driving experiences as well as their observations of other drivers. An earlier Foundation survey in 1996 indicated state troopers often could not tell the difference in driving behavior between drivers who were drunk or merely drowsy.

A 2003 National Sleep Foundation (NSF) poll revealed that 51 percent of Americans have admitted to driving while drowsy, and 17 percent admitted to falling asleep behind the wheel. NSF has launched a website dedicated to preventing this nationwide problem. Drowsydriving.org provides a collection of information and resources to help raise awareness about a common, though often ignored problem that injures and kills thousands of people every year.

Visitors to www.drowsydriving.org get tips that describe warning signs and symptoms of the onset of sleepiness and actions to follow if one becomes sleepy behind the wheel. Tools for better sleep are provided along with information targeted specifically to at-risk groups such as teens, shift workers and commercial drivers. There are also special features for researchers, academics, policymakers and advocates working in this area. These include research studies and surveys on drowsy driving, and links to other research and related documents listed by subject category for easy reference. The AAA Foundation's drowsy driving research and brochure are accessible from the site.

The new site also facilitates advocacy on prevention of drowsy driving at the state and local levels and within institutions. Last November, New Jersey passed landmark legislation, known as Maggie's Law, which imposes jail time and fines as high as $150,000 for sleep-deprived drivers who cause a fatal crash. Before the enactment of Maggie's Law, driving while fatigued was not considered reckless driving and therefore did not fall under the category of vehicular homicide.  In many states similar legislation is pending.