Accidents due to drowsy driving on the rise, study reveals

Accidents due to drowsy driving on the rise, study reveals

Roughly 41 percent of American drivers admitted that they have felt drowsy or completely dozed off while driving, according to a recent study made by the American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety.

Eleven percent of those surveyed said that they had fallen asleep behind the wheel at least once in the last 12 months, with several saying that they did so while cruising in freeways.

Drowsy driving is linked to at least 16.5 percent of fatal vehicular accidents in the United States, based on information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This represents a significant rise from past estimates.

“Many of us tend to underestimate the negative effects associated with fatigue and sleep deprivation, said AAA vice president Kathleen Marvaso. The AAA released its survey on the occasion of Drowsy Driving Prevention Week.

The AAA said that the survey  released on Monday shows that men and teenagers are the most likely among drivers to nod off while driving, with drivers ages 16 to 24 being 78 percent more likely than older drivers to experience drowsiness. Males were 61 percent more likely than female drivers to be drowsy when a traffic mishap occurs.

The association decided to conduct the first drowsy driving survey in fifteen years because it felt that this factor has been dismissed as a contributing factor in vehicular crashes over other causes such as overspeeding, alcohol or drug intoxication, and texting or using a mobile phone. The AAA said that at least six hours of sleep is needed prior to a long drive.

Posted by Sophia Andrews on Tuesday November 09 2010, 5:40 AM EST. Ref: L.A.Times. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Travel. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0