In addition, there are no standardized criteria for making the determination of driver sleepiness and there is little or no police training in identifying drowsiness crash factor. At least 71,000 people are injured in fall-asleep crashes each year. Sleep deprivation and fatigue make such lapses of attention more likely to occur. Twenty-seven percent reported that they had, at some time, dozed off while driving. At the 1995 National Truck Safety Summit driver fatigue was designated the number one priority for truck safety.
People tend to fall asleep more on high-speed, long, boring, rural highways.
The peak age of occurrence was 20. 25 million Americans are rotating shift workers. The drive home from work after the night shift is likely to be a particularly dangerous one. Commercial Drivers Truck drivers are especially susceptible to fatigue-related crashes. In addition to the high number of miles driven each year, many truckers may drive during the night when the body is sleepiest.