Jones said single vehicle crashes don't get the media attention they deserve because they are not as interesting as violent crime. They're just as tragic as the homicides and those kinds of tragedies. But the most significant factor is driving while fatigued or drowsy. About 31 percent report having dozed off while at the wheel. Conservative estimates from the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration and the National Center on Sleep Disorder blame 40,000 injuries and 1,550 fatalities annually on drowsy driving.
People tend to fall asleep more on high-speed, long, boring, rural highways.
For example, the New York Thruway Authority estimates that 40 percent of all crashes on the Thruway are related to drowsy driving. Sleep deprivation and fatigue make such lapses of attention more likely to occur. The Idaho Office of Highway Safety has concluded that drowsy driving is an underrated traffic hazard that most motorists take far too lightly. Drowsy drivers are much harder to identify and may not themselves recognize the danger they are putting themselves and other motorists in. These efforts will focus on combating inattentive, fatigued and drowsy driver behavior, risky driver behavior, and to increase use of safety restraints.