A report by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) confirms that motor vehicle crashes caused by drowsy driving continue to be under-recognized due to a lack of uniformity in crash reporting among states. The first-ever annual State of the States Report on Drowsy Driving found that while significant progress has been made on various fronts in the battle against drowsy driving, much remains to be accomplished..

The vast majority of states responding to the 2007 survey indicated that they have the ability to charge a drowsy driver under existing laws. This was similar to the 1998 survey. However, the current report found that there continues to be wide variance in the types of charges that would be levied. Only 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.

However, Maggie’s Law and many of the pending bills are not optimal due to their narrow focus. NSF plans to work with legislators in correcting this problem by releasing principles for model state legislation that take a comprehensive approach to addressing drowsy driving.

Read the full press release here

Drowsy driving - what do you think?
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