New research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reveals that driver fatigue is a factor in far more car accidents than federal government statistics had indicated.
According to AAA, 21 percent of fatal crashes involve a drowsy driver. Research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published in 2011 found that 2.5 percent of fatal crashes involved a drowsy driver. In terms of deaths per year caused by drowsy driving, AAA statistics put the figure at 6,400, compared to approximately 1,000 estimated by NHTSA.
The results of AAA’s research – based on an assessment of 14,268 crashes from 2009-2013 in which a vehicle was towed from the scene – also indicate that 6 percent of all crashes, 7 percent of injury crashes and 13 percent of crashes resulting in hospitalization involved a drowsy driver.
‘A Serious Traffic Safety Problem’
“This new research further confirms that drowsy driving is a serious traffic safety problem,” AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety President and CEO Peter Kissinger said in a news release. “Unfortunately, drivers often underestimate this risk and overestimate their ability to combat drowsiness behind the wheel.”
To arrive at the revised accident figures, AAA used trained investigators to assess driver drowsiness using police reports from crash-investigating officers and interviews with the driver and other vehicle occupants.
AAA says that NHTSA’s low fatigued driving estimates are attributable to the fact that police officers have difficulty ascertaining driver fatigue because not only is there no physical evidence of drowsiness, but also because drivers are also often unable or unwilling to admit that they were fatigued.
Other studies have found that drowsy driving causes impairment on par with drunk driving. Researchers in France, for instance, demonstrated in a 2012 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine that being sleep-deprived and being drunk both double the risk of causing a car accident.
Young Adults More Likely to Drive While Drowsy
Similar to drunk drivers, fatigued drivers tend to be young adults. Previous AAA Foundation research showed that drivers between the ages of 19 and 24 are the most likely (33 percent) to admit to drowsy driving. According to NHTSA alcohol-impaired driver data, drivers ages 21 to 24 have the highest percentage (32 percent) of drivers involved in fatal alcohol-impaired crashes.
AAA cautions, however, that fatigued driving is problematic for people of all ages. While many drivers acknowledge the danger, fewer seem willing to pull over when they’re sleepy.
“Despite the fact that 95 percent of Americans deem it ‘unacceptable’ to drive when they are so tired that they have a hard time keeping their eyes open, more than 28 percent admit to doing so in the last month,” Kissinger said. “Like other impairments, driving while drowsy is not without risk.”
One of those risks, research is making increasingly clear, is increased crash risk. If you were involved in a serious crash with another motorist or a truck driver, fatigue may have been a factor. If so, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries and other losses. The Law Firm of Pajcic & Pajcic has handled numerous cases involving fatigued drivers.
New research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reveals that driver fatigue is a factor in far more car accidents than federal government statistics had indicated.
According to AAA, 21 percent of fatal crashes involve a drowsy driver. Research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published in 2011 found that 2.5 percent of fatal crashes involved a drowsy driver. In terms of deaths per year caused by drowsy driving, AAA statistics put the figure at 6,400, compared to approximately 1,000 estimated by NHTSA.
The results of AAA’s research – based on an assessment of 14,268 crashes from 2009-2013 in which a vehicle was towed from the scene – also indicate that 6 percent of all crashes, 7 percent of injury crashes and 13 percent of crashes resulting in hospitalization involved a drowsy driver.
‘A Serious Traffic Safety Problem’
“This new research further confirms that drowsy driving is a serious traffic safety problem,” AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety President and CEO Peter Kissinger said in a news release. “Unfortunately, drivers often underestimate this risk and overestimate their ability to combat drowsiness behind the wheel.”
To arrive at the revised accident figures, AAA used trained investigators to assess driver drowsiness using police reports from crash-investigating officers and interviews with the driver and other vehicle occupants.
AAA says that NHTSA’s low fatigued driving estimates are attributable to the fact that police officers have difficulty ascertaining driver fatigue because not only is there no physical evidence of drowsiness, but also because drivers are also often unable or unwilling to admit that they were fatigued.
Other studies have found that drowsy driving causes impairment on par with drunk driving. Researchers in France, for instance, demonstrated in a 2012 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine that being sleep-deprived and being drunk both double the risk of causing a car accident.
Young Adults More Likely to Drive While Drowsy
Similar to drunk drivers, fatigued drivers tend to be young adults. Previous AAA Foundation research showed that drivers between the ages of 19 and 24 are the most likely (33 percent) to admit to drowsy driving. According to NHTSA alcohol-impaired driver data, drivers ages 21 to 24 have the highest percentage (32 percent) of drivers involved in fatal alcohol-impaired crashes.
AAA cautions, however, that fatigued driving is problematic for people of all ages. While many drivers acknowledge the danger, fewer seem willing to pull over when they’re sleepy.
“Despite the fact that 95 percent of Americans deem it ‘unacceptable’ to drive when they are so tired that they have a hard time keeping their eyes open, more than 28 percent admit to doing so in the last month,” Kissinger said. “Like other impairments, driving while drowsy is not without risk.”
One of those risks, research is making increasingly clear, is increased crash risk. If you were involved in a serious crash with another motorist or a truck driver, fatigue may have been a factor. If so, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries and other losses. The Law Firm of Pajcic & Pajcic has handled numerous cases involving fatigued drivers.