WORCESTER—Drowsy driving, although less conspicuous than drunk driving or texting while driving, is a more prevalent factor in crashes, including fatal ones, than commonly perceived.
The risk of drowsy driving incidents increases in the days following Daylight Saving Time, which occurs this Sunday. In response to this concern, AAA has unveiled a new study that challenges existing assumptions about the frequency and risks associated with falling asleep at the wheel.
Official statistics on the prevalence of drowsy driving have long been underestimated, since most drivers don’t admit to being drowsy after a collision. Now, new research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety shows just how underreported these crashes are. According to the study, AAA estimates that drowsy driving is a factor in ten times as many traffic fatalities as traditional crash data indicates.
The study, based on in-depth crash investigations and national fatal crash data, estimates that 18 percent of traffic fatalities between 2017 and 2021 involved a tired driver. A total of nearly 30,000 people died in those crashes. In 2021 alone, an estimated 6,725 people were killed in drowsy driving crashes – far higher than the 684 deaths reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In Massachusetts, between 2021 and 2023, there were 2,962 crashes where police indicated that drowsiness, fatigue or a driver falling asleep was a contributing factor, according to the state’s IMPACT crash data portal. That number likely also understates the extent of the problem, according to the report.
“We’ve long known that drowsy driving crashes are underreported, but learning just how common they are is alarming,” said Mark Schieldrop, senior spokesperson for AAA Northeast. “This new research is a wake-up-call and highlights sleep deprivation as a major traffic safety and public health concern. As Americans move their clocks ahead by one hour this weekend, they need to remember to monitor their sleep schedule to prevent drowsiness on the road. Remember, the only substitute for a lack of sleep is sleep.”
Shieldrop said that over that same time period (Jan. 2, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2023), the City of Worcester reported 82 crashes and 28 injuries due to drowsy driving, and in Worcester County, 826 crashes, 323 injuries and four fatalities.
“Based on our study that finds these types of crashes are underreported by a factor of 10, those numbers don’t capture the actual severity of the problem,” Shieldrop told the Worcester Guardian. “Our belief is that a lot of fatal single-vehicle crashes where the driver left the roadway are in fact drowsy driving crashes, but don’t end up classified as such for various reasons. A major reason is that police can’t easily determine if a driver fell asleep in a fatal crash. Another is that in some of those fatal crashes, if any substance is found through toxicology, the crash ends up classified as an OUI crash.”
Shieldrop said the new study reveals that drowsiness is in fact a major contributing factor even if the crashes end up classified in other categories.
“Much like speeding, we tend to find multiple contributing factors in fatal crashes, particularly crashes that occur overnight and among male drivers,” he said. “Generally, if someone is impaired, they’re more likely to speed, more likely to drive aggressively and more likely to be drowsy.“
Despite 95 percent of surveyed drivers acknowledging the high level of danger associated with drowsy driving, 18 percent admitted to engaging in this behavior within the past 30 days. Further research by AAA shows that drivers consistently underestimate their level of drowsiness while behind the wheel.
Marian Berkowitz, founder of the Drowsy Driving Project, lost her brother, Jim, in a drowsy driving crash when he was just 24.
“He fell asleep at the wheel on a Monday night after the clock change while driving back to his school,” Berkowitz said. “Drivers should be aware they may be more tired than usual in the days following the time change, which can disrupt our sleep patterns. What happened to my brother Jim could have happened to anyone.”
Charlene Arsenault can be contacted at carsenault@theworcesterguardian.org
