Pennsylvania officials say teen fell asleep behind the wheel

Drowsy driving is recognized as a significant safety issue on America’s roads. Drowsy driving causes tens of thousands of injuries each year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In fact, the highway safety officials say that somewhere around 40,000 people suffer personal injuries each year in crashes involving a drowsy driver.

There may be a number of reasons a driver is drowsy on the road. Sleep disorders, a simple lack of sleep, long hours on the road, driving drunk and other factors may lead to a driver being sleepy behind the wheel. The time of night may often be a factor as well, according to highway officials.

Not all drowsy driving accidents are confined to late-night or early-morning hours. Authorities say that a wreck in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, Wednesday afternoon may be linked to drowsy driving. Police say that an 18-year-old driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel around 3:30 in the afternoon. The teen’s car swerved across a traffic lane before striking a roadside guardrail. The impact spun the car around.

Three passengers in the car suffered personal injuries. Two of the victims suffered relatively minor injuries. However, one of the passengers was seriously injured and transported to an area hospital. A recent report from WHAG indicates that the injured accident victims are juveniles.

It is not clear what may have led to the driver falling asleep in the crash. Law enforcement does not believe that alcohol or other substances were involved in the afternoon wreck. Police continue to look into the cause of the crash.