Are We Getting Enough Sleep to Safely Drive?

Sleep-deprived drivers are turning America’s roadways into danger zones with potentially costly consequences.

That’s according to the findings of a new survey sponsored by Erie Insurance examining drivers’ sleeping and driving habits.

The survey found that a majority of Americans are sleeping fewer than seven hours per night, the minimum nightly amount recommended by the Center for Disease Control. A lack of sleep can affect one’s ability to focus, think clearly and react quickly, all necessary functions for driving effectively.

The infographic below details some additional survey findings. 

About the survey:

This survey was conducted online by Falls & Co. on behalf of Erie Insurance from Feb 21 through Feb 24, 2025, among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 U.S. residents ages 18 and older who self-reported they held a current driver's license. Falls established the sampling quotas, designed the questionnaire, tabulated the survey responses, and managed the overall project. Falls used SightX (New York, N.Y.) to administer the survey via the internet, including mobile devices to U.S. panels who met the key demographic criteria. Our results are statistically weighted for age and U.S. Region to align the sample distribution with U.S. population characteristics per 2023 ACS 1-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau and 2022 estimates from the USDA Economic Research Service. This technique was used to mitigate the effects of oversampling that can occur when using online survey panels.