FACTS

Accidents that result from driver fatigue:

1. A fatigued driver might veer off the road, hit a guardrail, or collide with a stationary object.
2. Fatigue can lead to slower reaction times and impaired judgment of distance and speed.
3. Fatigue can cause a driver to drift into oncoming traffic or cross over center lines.
4. Drowsy drivers might run red lights or stop signs or fail to yield at intersections due to their diminished attention and reaction times, causing accidents with other vehicles.
5. On highways and freeways, driver fatigue can lead to accidents involving multiple vehicles, especially during heavy traffic or when driving at high speeds.
6. Commercial truck drivers, who often have demanding schedules and experience long hours on the road, are particularly susceptible to fatigue-related accidents.
7. Fatigue can lead to a lack of control over the vehicle, which can increase the risk of rollover accidents.
8. Long stretches of monotonous driving on rural roads can lead to driver fatigue.
9. Fatigue often accumulates on long journeys, such as road trips or cross-country drives.

STATS

• A survey in the U.S. found that 37% of workers got less than the recommended minimum of 7 hours of sleep. According to the Public Healthy Agency of Canada, 36.3% of adults get insufficient amounts of sleep every night.
• Each year, drowsy driving accounts for about 100,000 crashes, 71,000 injuries, and 1,550 fatalities.
• A study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that drowsiness was a contributing factor in up to 9.5 percent of all crashes and 10.8 percent of crashes that included airbag deployment, injury, or property damage.
• In 2020, there were 633 traffic fatalities caused by drowsy driving-related crashes. (NHTSA)
• The majority of drowsy-driving crashes happen between midnight and 6 a.m., or in the late afternoon.
• 1 in 25 drivers admit to falling asleep behind the wheel. (CDC)
• Driving after more than 20 hours without sleep is the equivalent of driving with a BAC of 0.08 percent.
• Fatigue-related crashes resulting in injuries or fatalities costing more than $100 billion annually.
• Drowsy driving accounts for about 100,000 crashes annually on the roadway, 71,000 injuries, and 1,550 fatalities each year. (AAA Foundation)
• About 24 percent of drivers have admitted to driving while being so fatigued that they struggled to keep their eyes open, at least once in the past 30 days.