Drowsy Drivers Pose Increasing Hazard

 They would probably never think of driving after drinking, or texting behind the wheel. But, according to a new report from the National Safety Council (NSC), increasing numbers of drivers, especially younger drivers, are operating their vehicles while they were having trouble staying awake, thus posing a danger to themselves and others. Safety groups have estimated sleep-deprived drivers cause about one in six fatal car crashes.

The new report, recently published in the NSC's Journal of Safety Research, shows 28% of all persons surveyed admitted driving during the past month while they were seriously tired. The younger the driver, the more likely they were to have been fatigued while operating a vehicle, with a third of drivers between the ages of 19 and 24 admitting to have driven while fatigued at some point in the past four weeks.

Safety officials warn not enough drivers recognize the dangers of fatigued driving. Like drivers affected by alcohol or drugs or distracted by cellphones or other devices, sleep-deprived drivers commonly have less acute vision, react more slowly to hazards, and are likely to commit similar errors, like drifting between traffic lanes. The NSC study also showed that while drivers clearly see drunk driving as unacceptable, many drivers, especially younger ones, take a more tolerant view of driving while drowsy. But, says NSC president and chief executive Janet Froetscher, all drivers "need to understand the dangers of driving while tired."

Another recent study, this one from the University of Pennsylvania's medical school, has shed light on the problem, by examining the connection between individual sleep habits and drowsy driving. In past tests, laboratory simulations of driving tasks have found sleepy subjects perform poorly. The new study, reported last month in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention, explored the real-world connections between sleep patterns and how people drive.

The Penn medical study drew on data from a huge telephone survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which aims at tracking the general population's conduct in areas posing health risks. Known as the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the annual nationwide CDC survey is in fact the largest telephone survey in the world. Based on its data, the Penn study found persons who identified themselves as sleeping on average six hours or less daily were almost twice as likely as those who averaged seven or more hours' sleep to report having driven while drowsy during the past month.

Persons who said they averaged five hours' sleep or less were almost four times as likely to report having driven while sleepy within the past month. Some of those who said the under seven hours' sleep they averaged was enough for them, but even they were about three times as likely as those who got more sleep to report having driven while drowsy during the past month.

If a negligent driver has caused harm to you or a family member, get in touch with a New York auto accident lawyer for a free consultation.