Survey shows many fall asleep while driving

AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) - More people are falling asleep behind the wheel.

One out of every 24, that's how many drivers say they recently fell asleep behind the wheel.

A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration survey found drowsy driving happens more often among men and in people ages 25 to 34. The CDC says the numbers could be higher as many don't realize when they nod off for a few seconds. 

“I suspect a lot of that happens on major highways and I avoid major highways,” said Janet Shevan of Amherst. “I tend to do most of my driving locally.”

Cecilio Benjamin, a truck driver from Amherst, said, “You're up enough to maneuver but if something happens instantly you can't react as quickly because you're in this micro sleep. It's not good, but it happens.”

Drowsy driving was associated with other sleep-related characteristics. Adults who reported frequent insufficient sleep, a daily sleep duration of 6 hours, snoring, or unintentionally falling asleep during the day reported drowsy driving more frequently than those who did not report those characteristics.