The driver of the van was not drunk, the weather was not bad, and it was not late at night. The driver of the van was on his way home from school two miles from his home when he fell asleep. The high school junior had pulled an all-nighter, had not eaten all day and then gone to baseball practice. He was at the tail-end of a somewhat typical day in the life of a high school student. And as a result, Ailene Rogers is a widow.
Experts point to a variety of sources.
Alcohol is undoubtedly one. Another factor in many accidents coming as a surprise to many is the number of passengers in the car. Time of day is also a factor, with the most crashes occurring late at night and in the early hours of the morning. Yet, even if your son or daughter is sober, traveling alone and driving during daylight hours, he or she can still be overcome by fatigue, as in the case of the young man mentioned above. It's killing people.