November 1st-8th is Drowsy Driving Prevention Week

The National Sleep Foundation has launched Drowsy Driving Prevention week as an educational campaign designed to save lives by increasing awareness of the dangers of driving while sleepy.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that drowsy driving causes at least 100,000 police-reported crashes and kills more than 1,550 Americans each year.   It is curious that all states have laws in place to enforce drunken driving but few have laws to cite a driver who has fallen asleep causing an accident.  Only the state of New Jersey explicitly defines drowsy driving as recklessness under a vehicular homicide statute. Known as “Maggie’s Law,” New Jersey’s drowsy driving law has served to raise awareness of the consequences of fatigue behind the wheel and has spurred significant action in other states. There are now at least 8 states with 12 pending bills that address fatigued driving in various ways.

For more information on Drowsy Driving Prevention Week, visit www.drowsydriving.org.