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Wake Up Call! Understanding Drowsy Driving and What States Can Do

Drowsy Driver
August 8, 2016

This report, made possible through funding from State Farm®, examines what drowsy driving is and how to address it.

Summary

This comprehensive, first-of-its-kind report, made possible through funding from State Farm®, examines the cause and effect of drowsy driving as well as how states and others can best address it.

Wake Up Call! discusses legislative, enforcement, education, and engineering countermeasures being employed as well as in-vehicle technologies that are available today or on the horizon. Also provided are examples of some state best practices to address the issue, including efforts in Iowa, New York, Texas and Utah. 

The report was researched and written by Pam Fischer, Principal of Pam Fischer Consulting. GHSA worked with a panel of experts (listed below) to develop the report and identify the key takeaways and featured programs.

Infographics

Please cite the Governors Highway Safety Association when using the graphics below. Right click on each graphic, then select "save image as..." to download it. If you're sharing on social media, consider tagging us at @ghsahq on X, @GHSAhq on Facebook and Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) on LinkedIn.

Cost of drowsy driving crashes
Lack of sleep mimics BAC
Crashes, injuries and fatal crashes
Percent of truck crashes involving a tired driver
Young drivers

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GHSA Reports
Term raw: GHSA Reports | Slug: ghsa-reports
February 26, 2026

Wake Up Call! Report Update: Understanding Drowsy Driving and What States Can Do

Driving tired can be just as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs – yet one in five drivers admit doing it at least once in the past month. GHSA's updated report, developed with General Motors’ (GM) support, reveals the deadly consequences of this preventable behavior and outlines concrete steps to eliminate it.