AAA says 41% of Americans admit they have fallen asleep behind the wheel

TOWSON, Md. - Your eyes grow heavy and your head starts to nod during that morning commute to work. Suddenly, you realize the car in front of you has stopped. You slam on the breaks and swerve to the left, narrowly avoiding an accident.

A new study by AAA shows you're not alone.

Nearly a quarter of drivers admit they drove despite being so sleepy they had difficulty keeping their eyes open.  Even more scary, 10-percent said they fell asleep behind the wheel in the last year.

Yet 85% of those surveyed said it was "completely unacceptable" for someone to drive when they are that tired.

“The fact that 85% of motorists acknowledge that it is ‘completely unacceptable’ for someone to drive when they are having trouble keeping their eyes open, yet more than a quarter of drivers admitted to operating a vehicle in the last month while they themselves struggled to stay awake is disturbing data, to say the least,” said Ragina C. Averella, Manager of Public and Government Affairs at AAA Mid-Atlantic.

A new analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash data shows one in six deadly crashes involves a drowsy driver. That number is much higher than most previous estimates.

Officials are now using the week of Nov. 8 to get the word out.  Dubbed "Drowsy Driving Prevention Week," the National Sleep Foundation , in conjunction with AAA is giving drivers tips on avoiding drowsy driving and signs that they may be too tired to stay on the road.  You can check them out by clicking on the links to the left.