By Robert Molloy, PhD, Director, NTSB Office of Highway Safety
As we wrap up Drowsy Driving Prevention week, I want to remind drivers about the importance of getting adequate rest before operating their car, truck, or bus. Drowsy Driving Prevention Week (November 1–8) was established by the National Sleep Foundation to draw attention to the hazards associated with operating a motor vehicle while fatigued. The NTSB, regulators, industry, and individual drivers all play a role in reducing fatigue-related crashes.
Drowsy and fatigued driving are not new problems. According to research conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, every year, about one in ten crashes on our roadways involves a drowsy driver, and one in five of those crashes is fatal. “Reducing fatigue-related accidents” is on our NTSB’s Most Wanted List of transportation safety improvements because our many investigations have shown that fatigue is a significant factor in highway crashes. For example, we recently completed two investigations of commercial truck crashes, one in Boise, ID, and the second in Elmhurst, IL, in which we found that the drivers failed to stop for slowed traffic as a result of fatigue. In the Boise crash, the driver’s fatigue was related to inadequate sleep duration; in Elmhurst, it resulted from a sleeping disorder related to sleep apnea.
In preparation for Drowsy Driving Prevention Week, we hosted a webinar on Managing Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Fatigue Risks. This joint effort between NTSB staff and industry experts from trucking and busing looked at programs companies can implement to reduce the risk of fatigued driving, and we discussed how the North American Fatigue Management Program, guidelines and materials that enable motor carriers to implement a comprehensive fatigue management program, can be an effective tool to prevent driver fatigue. You can watch the webinar online.
From an individual perspective, we all need to take responsibility for our fitness to get behind the wheel, not only to protect ourselves and our passengers, but to keep other road users safe. Commercial drivers have provided heroic services to our nation during the COVID-19 pandemic; the least we can do is ensure that we aren’t putting them at risk by getting behind the wheel drowsy or fatigued.
Drowsy and fatigued driving have real-life—and death—consequences. As this week of special attention comes to an end, don’t let alert driving take a back seat.
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