Study finds some sleepy drivers can ‘hardly keep their eyes open’

Washington – Results of a study conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety show that more than one-fourth of U.S. motorists reported having driven in the previous 30 days while being so tired they could hardly keep their eyes open.

Researchers analyzed preliminary results from the 2013 Traffic Safety Culture Index – which will be fully released in January – in which 2,325 motorists were surveyed about their driving behaviors. Among other findings related to drowsy driving:

• Nearly one-fifth of respondents reported that on more than one occasion in the past 30 days they had driven despite having a hard time keeping their eyes open, and 2 percent of all respondents said they did this “fairly often” or “regularly.”
• Respondents 19-24 years old were most likely to report driving drowsy, and drivers 75 or older and drivers 16-18 were least likely to report driving drowsy.
• The percentage of respondents admitting to drowsy driving – about 30 percent – has remained relatively unchanged for the past four years .