Drowsy driving has been identified as a major factor compromising public health and safety . In the general population, nearly 5% of respondents to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System reported that, at least once in the preceding 30 days, they had fallen asleep or nodded off while driving . Results of a questionnaire administered at truck inspection stations in several U.S. states indicated that 28% of commercial motor vehicle drivers acknowledged that at least once during the preceding month, they had fallen asleep while driving . Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of unintentional injury deaths among youths aged 15–24 years , and drowsy driving has been identified as one type of teen driver error . Given the prevalence and dire consequences of drowsy driving, CDC encourages parents, educators, health-care providers, and the general public to learn more about healthy sleep practices that can combat drowsy driving.
Additional information is available online from the National Sleep Foundation at http://www.sleepfoundation.org and from CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/sleep.
via Announcements: Drowsy Driving Prevention Week — November 12–18, 2012.
