The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) announced Drowsy Driving Prevention Week® 2023 will be November 5-11. NSF encourages everyone to prioritize sleep and drive when alert and refreshed. NSF’s annual campaign goal is to help the public understand the risks of this form of impaired driving and reduce the number of drivers who choose to drive while sleep deprived.
NSF data show 95 percent of Americans think drowsy driving is risky, but a majority of drivers do it anyway. Additionally, 6 in 10 drivers (62%) have driven a car when they were so tired that they had a hard time keeping their eyes open, a projected 150+ million US motorists. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, drowsy driving is responsible for more than 6,400 U.S. deaths annually. Fall asleep crashes are often caused by not getting enough of the quality sleep you need.
“Drowsy driving is impaired driving. It’s a risk to public health and safety that can impact anyone on our roads. NSF encourages all drivers to prioritize sleep and drive only when alert and refreshed,” said NSF CEO, John Lopos. “We can all do more to share or act on this message,” continued Lopos.
NSF independently produces Drowsy Driving Prevention Week and all related official educational content. NSF’s drowsy driving prevention resources are available on www.theNSF.org.