Sleep deprivation is a major problem among America's adults. In today's hectic world, millions of Americans are struggling with insomnia, stress-induced sleep disorders, hormone-related disorders that cause sleeplessness, and of course a lack of sleep caused by infants and toddlers in the home.

Not only are Americans operating on little sleep, sleep deprivation is leading to drowsy driving and deadly crashes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the dangers of fatigued driving are alarming.

What is drowsy or fatigued driving exactly? It is where a person is sleep-deprived and they drive a motor vehicle on too little sleep. With people's busy life and work schedules, millions of tired and fatigued Americans are hitting the road despite the fact that their senses are diminished by sleep deprivation.

What are the effects of fatigued driving?

According to the CDC, "falling asleep at the wheel is clearly dangerous." The CDC goes on to say that fatigued driving affects people's driving ability, even when they do not fall asleep at the wheel. Fatigued driving does the following:

• Causes drivers to pay less attention to the task of driving and the road
• Slows drivers' reaction time when they need to steer or brake all of a sudden
• Affects drivers' ability to make the right decisions when driving

The CDC reports that about 1 in 25 adults said they fell asleep behind the wheel in the previous month. What's more, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that in 2013, drowsy driving led to 72,000 car accidents, 44,000 injuries, and 800 fatalities, however, these numbers are significantly underestimated according to the CDC.

Were you injured by a drowsy driver? If so, contact a car accident lawyer to file a claim for compensation!