Falling asleep at the wheel is known as the “silent
killer” because it is under reported as the cause
of fatal traffic crashes. There is no accurate test to
determine the level of sleepiness like there is to determine
intoxication and there is little or no police training
in identifying drowsiness crash factors.
In Texas, a reported 256 drivers were involved in fatal
wrecks in which fatigue or falling asleep at the wheel
was the cause of the crash. Another 4,558 drivers were
involved in injury wrecks and a total of 7,711 drivers
were involved in property damage wrecks in which they
were fatigued or asleep. (2001 DPS Motor Vehicle Traffic
Accident Report)
Texas
Department of Public Safety web site has a lot to say about
‘Drowsy Driving:’