Young Drivers More Likely To Drive Drowsy [study]

Experts say its the No. 1 unrecognized traffic-safety problem.

A new survey by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety says that motorists ages 16 to 24 are more likely to drive while drowsy. Out of that group one in seven drivers admit to having nodded off behind the wheel at least once in the past year.

"Less-experienced drivers tend to underestimate the risks of drowsy driving and overestimate their ability to deal with problems from the practice," says AAA president and CEO Peter Kissinger to USA Today.

USA Today also reports that government and auto makers are taking action to prevent people falling asleep behind the wheel. 

Many states plan to install rumble strips along the edges and in the medians of roadways to alert drivers when they bump across them. And automakers are developing technology to determine when a driver is falling asleep or being inattentive.

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