NTSB Hosts Forum To Call Attention To Drowsy Driving
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Looking for ways to prevent fatalities from crashes, the National Transportation Safety Board held a forum Tuesday on the dangers of drowsy driving.
The AAA says 41 percent of drivers admit "falling asleep or nodding off" while driving at least once in their lifetime, 1010 WINS' Derricke Dennis reported. The practice is blamed for 100,000 accidents a year -- 6,000 of them fatal.
Health and safety experts are looking at the causes for drowsy driving, including irregular work schedules, medical problems and inexperience behind the wheel.
NTSB Hosts Forum To Call Attention To Drowsy Driving
One woman from Jersey City, New Jersey, who works the night shift told Dennis she won't drive when she's fatigued.
"If I get tired, I just pull over," she said.
Sam, of Old Bridge, New Jersey, said he recently witnessed a drowsy driver and took action.
EXTRA: CDC Facts On Drowsy Driving
"I followed him, called the cops," he said.
"They should not drive. Take a taxi or something like that, if they get tired," Sam added.
NTSB board member Mark Rosekind said drowsy driving is just another form of driving impaired.
"That's a great way to think about this," he told CBS News. "In fact, impaired driving problem covers alcohol and drugs, distraction and drowsy or fatigued driving, as well, and that's the problem."
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, after about 24 hours, fatigue impairment is equivalent to a blood-alcohol content of 0.10 -- higher than the legal limit in all states.
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