Report calls drowsy driving a dangerously underreported safety issue
More than 6,300 people died in suspected drowsy driving crashes in 2023 – 10 times higher than the 633 deaths officially reported by the U.S. government.
That was the finding of a recent report by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), which is highlighting a highway safety issue it believes is as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
“We talk about the dangers of drunk, drug-impaired and distracted driving – but drowsy driving belongs in the conversation, too. It’s the fourth ‘D’ that kills thousands every year; it’s time we give it the same urgency,” said Jonathan Adkins, CEO of the GHSA. “By raising awareness among drivers, helping train law enforcement and expanding in-vehicle technologies, we can help ensure that fewer families experience the tragedy of a fatigue-related crash.”
Citing a 2010 study by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, the GHSA cited longhaul truck drivers among the groups more susceptible to drowsy driving. It also said that more recent statistics show that between 9% and 11% of relatively minor crashes involve a drowsy driver, and that at any given moment on the road, three out of every 200 people behind the wheel are driving drowsy.
GHSA said it cross-referenced multiple sources, including the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and the Crash Investigation Sampling System, to determine that the 2023 death toll from drowsy driving was 6,326 people. The official total reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was 633.
This gap exists because fatigue leaves no physical evidence that can be tested after a crash, unlike alcohol or drugs. State and local law enforcement agencies have different policies for reporting suspected drowsy driving, leading to a substantial undercount in the national figures.
The report said reducing drowsy driving requires an approach that includes education, partnerships, policy, infrastructure improvements, and technological advancements.
It includes a focus on good sleep hygiene and better training of law enforcement on how to detect drowsy drivers. GHSA also touted advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) features that can monitor for signs of drowsiness.
“This report offers both a call to action for ending drowsy driving and a blueprint for ensuring that positive change happens,” said John Capp, director of vehicle safety technology, strategy, and regulations at General Motors, which supported GHSA in creating the report.
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No, say it isn’t so.
The whole idea of going to E-Logs was to ensure that drivers were in compliance with the Federally mandated HOS rules. And these same HOS rules were backed by mountains of data to ensure that drivers are supposed to get the rest periods they needed to be safe and above all else, not tired?
The reality is that everyone, no matter what they’re doing, gets inattentive or drowsy at points during the day. When I was younger they called it daydreaming. The same thing applies to drivers. Before E-logs, drivers pulled over more often, took a quick break, walked around the truck and moved on. They can do the same thing now, but E-logs are now the in-your-face timer that constantly ticks down. With every glance they are reminded that they have only so many more hours or minutes to get where they want to be. Add to mix a GPS system in real-time that alerts dispatch, and sometimes even customers, that the driver, truck and load is not moving. Further add in congested and busy highways with every vehicle on the road giving little regard to safe or courteous driving and law enforcement rarely doing active enforcement. Finally, introduce a system where drivers can get a license by paying off the right person and trucking companies have no pressure from insurance to ensure they hire competent safe drivers.
No wonder why fatigue is making its mark. I’m all for technologies in the cab to alert drivers when it detects symptoms of inattentiveness, but laws need to be changed to disallow any technologies that are not mandated by the FMCSA to be used in a court room. Billboard plaintiff lawyers are using all the technologies that trucking companies put in place to skew the minds of juries to get nuclear verdicts. I’m afraid that in the case of an accident and if this device triggered once in the last hour the jury would be convinced that a nuclear verdict is warranted. All technologies, except for ELD because it is mandated, should not be able to be subpoenaed as evidence unless the trucking company who pays for the existence of this technology introduces it.
The trucking industry is a mess. There are a lot of converging pressures making its mark. A lot of areas need to be addressed and maybe technologies can help, but they are not the only solution. More enforcement on the roads everywhere would be the best solution.
This was stated to the ccmta and the senate sub committee, but was ignored including all my research.
It is a know fact that many drivers are tired many driver’s are having micro sleeps while driving. 70 hours in five day dangerous. With only 36 hours off.
This well documented.
Still know one listen.