‘Drowsy Driving’ Kills Thousands — And 400,000 Teens Do It Annually

Driving while drowsy is a growing issue in the United States, notably so in the rookies of the road — teenagers.

According to a new report from the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), at any given time there are approximately 400,000 teenagers driving while drowsy. Drowsy driving happens when a person operates a vehicle on the road while extremely sleepy due to a lack of sleep, side effects from medications and fatigue due to shift work. 

Although teenagers make up just a fraction of the number of drivers on the road, they are especially vulnerable to factors that make driving more challenging.

“Due to a confluence of factors, including driving as a newly learned behavior and multiple competing time demands, teenagers find themselves at increased risks for drowsy driving and drowsy driving-related consequences,” NSF’s latest report reads.

Driving while drowsy is risky. Every year, it causes car accidents that claim more than 6,000 lives and injure over 100,000 people in the U.S. In comparison, drunk driving on average kills a little more than 10,000 people in the U.S. annually. 

This means the death toll from drowsy driving is within half that of drunk driving, despite the little mainstream attention paid to it.

The majority of teens surveyed by NSF — 95% — agreed that driving while drowsy is risky, though it was not perceived as dangerous as drunk or drugged driving, which 80 and 81% of teens rated as “much more risky.” Only around 30% felt that drowsy driving could lead to serious injuries or death.

Motor vehicle crashes are the second leading cause of death among teenagers, and of the  300,000 police-reported crashes owed to drowsy driving, 20% happen to teen drivers.

According to the report, one out of every six teens has driven while very drowsy. Work and school-related responsibilities were most often cited as reasons for driving while extremely tired and as their reasons for feeling that way; teens who work for pay were twice as likely to admit to being on the road while drowsy.

 It isn’t just teens, though. Adults struggle with driving while drowsy, too. According to the report, approximately 60% of adults also acknowledged driving while extremely tired.

The NSF describes driving while drowsy as “a serious public health concern.” Currently, every state has laws against drunk, drugged and distracted driving, but just two — New Jersey and Arkansas — have legislation pertaining to drowsy driving. The NSF report suggests that increased regulations on drowsy driving could help to reduce the number of preventable accidents owed to driving while too tired.