• The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that approximately 100,000 policy-reported crashes annually (about 1.5% of all crashes) involve drowsiness/fatigue as a principal causal factor. A conservative estimate of related fatalities is 1,500 annually or 4% of all traffic crash fatalities. At least 76,000 people are injured in fall-asleep crashes each year. NHTSA estimates these crashes represent $12.5 billion in monetary losses each year.
  
  
• Drowsiness/fatigue may play a role in crashes attributed to other causes. About one million crashes annually -- one-sixth of all crashes -- are thought to be produced by driver inattention/lapses. Sleep deprivation and fatigue make such lapses of attention more likely to occur.
  
  
• In a 1996 postal survey of 9,000 male drivers in Britain, in which 51% responded (4,600), the drivers attributed 7% of their crashes in the previous three years to tiredness (sleepiness and/or fatigue).
  
  
• In a 1995 NSF Gallup Poll, 52% of respondents reported driving while drowsy in the previous year. Three in ten (31%) adults reported falling asleep at the wheel and 4% actually crashed as a result.
  
  
• At the 1995 National Truck Safety Summit, organized by the Federal Highway Administration, and involving representatives from government, industry and the research community, driver fatigue was designated the number one priority for truck safety.
  
  
• People tend to fall asleep more on high-speed, long, boring, rural highways. For example, New York police estimate that 30% of all fatal crashes along the New York Thruway occurred because the driver fell asleep at the wheel.
  

• Sleep-deprived or fatigued,

• Driving long distances without rest breaks,

• Driving through the night, the early afternoon, or at other times when they are normally asleep,

• Taking medication that increases sleepiness or drinking alcohol,

• Driving alone,

• Driving on long, rural, boring roads,

• Frequent travelers, e.g., business travelers.

• Sleep-related crashes are most common in young people, who tend to stay up late, sleep too little, and drive at night. In a North Carolina state study, 55% of fall-asleep crashes involved people 25-years-old or younger. 78% were males. The peak age of occurrence was 20.

Shift Workers

• 25 million Americans are rotating shift workers. Studies suggest that 20 to 30% of those with nontraditional work schedules have had a fatigue-related driving mishap within the last year. The drive home from work after the night shift is likely to be a particularly dangerous one.

Commercial Drivers

• Truck drivers are especially susceptible to fatigue-related crashes. In addition to the high number of miles driven each year, many truckers may drive during the night when the body is sleepiest. Truckers may also have high prevalence of a sleep and breathing disorder call sleep apnea. The National Transportation Safety Board estimates that 31% of all commercial driver fatalities and 58% of single-truck crashes are fatigue related.

People with Undiagnosed Sleep Disorders

• The presence of sleep disorder increases the risk of crashes. Disorders such as chronic insomnia, sleep apnea and narcolepsy, all of which lead to excessive daytime sleepiness, afflict an estimated 30 million Americans. Most people with sleep disorders remain undiagnosed and untreated. Sleep apnea occurs in 4% of middle-aged men and 2% of middle-aged women. The disorder is associated with a three to seven time increase in crash risk.

Source: The National Sleep Foundation