A SLEEP journal study has revealed some new statistics on the risk that drivers run when traveling drowsy. A U.S. Department of Transportation survey found that one in three adult drivers in Texas and across the nation sleep less than seven hours, though the usual recommendation is that everyone get between seven and nine hours. Drowsy driving is behind an estimated 7 percent of all motor vehicle crashes, including 16 percent of all fatal crashes.
The study shows that with every lost hour of sleep, the chances of an accident increase. Six hours of sleep makes drivers 1.6 times more likely to crash, while five and four hours raise that risk 1.9 and 2.9 times, respectively. Drivers who sleep fewer than four hours are 15.1 times more likely to crash and are the most liable to get in single-vehicle crashes.
