Drowsy Driving Everyone has heard that drinking alcohol and driving is extremely dangerous. However, you may not know that driving while drowsy is just as fatal as being intoxicated, causing thousands of crashes and over 70,000 injuries each and every year. It is so dangerous, in fact, that several states are considering legislation allowing criminal negligence charges if a person causes injury or death to someone while driving with inadequate sleep.

Drowsy driving, like alcohol-impaired driving, leads to slower reaction time, decreased awareness, impaired judgment - all which increase your risk of crashing. Because most of us drive every day, it is so important to ensure the sleep that you get is adequate, as well as healthy and deep. Untreated sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, which many people do not even realize that they have - can be particularly scary for those on the road - as they may not even realize how sleepy they really are.

Who is at risk?
The truth is, everyone is at risk. Whether you didn't sleep well last night or you haven't slept well for years, the amount and type of sleep you get is very important...for the drowsy driver and others around them.

The National Sleep Foundation's survey "Sleep in America" found that:

• 62% reported driving drowsy in past year
• 27% actually dozed off at the wheel
• 23% knew someone who had a fall-asleep crash sometime in their life

Drowsy drivers can be anyone, but there has been a higher correlation among:

• Those under 30
• Men
• Shift workers
• Undiagnosed sleep disorder sufferers