How dangerous is it to drive while tired? Most drivers can recall at least one time they had trouble keeping their eyes open while behind the wheel, but drowsy driving doesn’t receive the same attention as drunken driving and drugged driving.
Research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety suggests it should: It found that drivers who only get 4-5 hours of sleep can more than quadruple their crash risk compared to those who get at least 7—which is the same risk associated with driving over the legal limit for alcohol. And while the federal government estimates that drowsiness is a factor in only 1-2% of crashes, AAA's research found that 9.5% of crashes involved drowsiness.