Drowsy Driving

Currently only two states, New Jersey and Arkansas, have laws expressly addressing drivers who drive drowsy and subsequently injure or kill someone.

In 2016, GHSA published a first-of-its-kind report, Wake Up Call! Understanding Drowsy Driving and What States Can Do, outlining the issue of drowsy driving and providing suggestions for best practices for states to consider implementing. More information on the history and impact of both laws can be found within the report.

Laws last reviewed by SHSOs in March 2023.

Short Term Description
Currently only two states, New Jersey and Arkansas, have laws addressing drowsy driving.
Arkansas
Drowsy Driving Law

Effective 2013. Defines fatigue as being without sleep for a period in excess of 24 consecutive hours "or in the state of being asleep” (Arkansas General Assembly, 2013).

New Jersey
Drowsy Driving Law

AKA "Maggie’s Law," effective 2003. Statute deems driving “while knowingly fatigued as recklessness” and defines fatigued as “being without sleep for a period in excess of 24 consecutive hours.” (New Jersey Legislature, 2002).

Ford DSFL and NRSF Grant Results: Montana

In 2018, Montana’s State Highway Traffic Safety Office (SHTSS) was awarded grants by both Ford Driving Skills for Life and The National Road Safety Foundation, Inc.'s partnerships with GHSA. With these funds, SHTSS launched a statewide contest between Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) chapters to create peer-to-peer teen safe driving campaigns, with an emphasis on drowsy driving.

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