3 percent of Minn. motorists nodded off while driving

Published 11:11 am Monday, January 7, 2013

MINNEAPOLIS — A federal report says 3.1 percent of Minnesota drivers have admitted to falling asleep behind the wheel in the past 30 days.

That’s better than the national average of 4.2 percent.

The analysis was reported this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was based on data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and involved surveys of 147,000 drivers in 19 states and the District of Columbia.

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The traffic-safety agency said 1 in 40 fatal crashes nationwide involves a drowsy driver.

The CDC said tired drivers often try to combat fatigue by opening windows, cranking the air conditioner or turning up the radio. The CDC said those tactics generally don’t help.