Governors Highway Safety Association
The States' Voice on Highway Safety

Issue Overview

Research shows that nearly 83.6 million sleep-deprived people are in the workplace, at school or driving on the road. A drowsy driver is a dangerous driver for a variety of reasons: Lack of sleep slows reaction time, impairs judgment and situational awareness, and increases lapses in attention and risk-taking – all skills necessary for safely operating a vehicle.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that in 2017, 91,000 police-reported crashes involved drowsy drivers. These crashes led to an estimated 50,000 people injured and nearly 800 deaths. However, it is agreed that drowsy driving is significantly underreported. There were 693 fatalities involving a drowsy driver in 2022, down 1.1 percent from 701 in 2021 (Overview of Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes in 2022, NHTSA).

GHSA Policy

Publication

State Laws Overview

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

Laws last reviewed by SHSOs in March 2024.

Arkansas

New Jersey

Related Resources

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Federal Research Projects
Term raw: Federal Research Projects | Slug: federal-research-projects
June 26, 2025

Effects of Pre-hospital Blood Programs and Improved EMS Response Time on the Risk of Motor Vehicle Crash Mortality (BTS-43)

The objective of this research is to determine the accuracy of the FARS estimate that 40 percent of motor vehicle fatalities were alive at the scene by reviewing a sample of motor vehicle fatalities who did not die at the scene to determine if improved interventions, such as the availability of pre-hospital care options, blood products, and improved response times would improve survivability.
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