Although official government statistics suggest that drowsy driving only contributes to approximately 1-3% of motor vehicle crashes each year in the United States, results of in-depth studies suggest that the true prevalence is likely much higher. A previous study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that 7% of all crashes in which a vehicle was towed from the scene, 13% of crashes in which a person was hospitalized, and 17% of fatal crashes involved a drowsy driver in years 1999 — 2008. The current study updates that study with data from years 2009 — 2013. Data from a representative sample of 14,268 crashes in which a vehicle was towed from the scene were examined. Driver drowsiness was assessed by trained investigators. Multiple imputation was used to estimate the proportion of drivers who were drowsy among those whose drowsiness status investigators were unable to ascertain. Results showed that an estimated 6% of all crashes in which a vehicle was towed from the scene, 7% of crashes in which a person received treatment for injuries sustained in the crash, 13% of crashes in which a person was hospitalized, and 21% of crashes in which a person was killed involved a drowsy driver. If these proportions are applied to all reported crashes nationwide, results suggest that an average of 328,000 crashes annually, including 109,000 crashes that result in injuries and 6,400 fatal crashes, involve a drowsy driver. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting