Summer in Macomb County means more driving — longer days, late nights, road trips, and early morning commutes. It also means more opportunity for drowsy driving, a risk that affects motorists on Hall Road, I-94, Gratiot Avenue, and every other road in the county.

What the National Data Shows

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 644 people died in drowsy-driving-related crashes in the United States in 2024. NHTSA acknowledges that determining a precise count of drowsy-driving crashes is difficult because crash investigators cannot always identify fatigue as a contributing factor from available evidence. NHTSA estimates that in 2017, 91,000 police-reported crashes involved drowsy drivers, leading to an estimated 50,000 injuries and nearly 800 deaths — but notes there is broad agreement across the traffic safety, sleep science, and public health communities that this is an underestimate.

When and Where Drowsy-Driving Crashes Tend to Occur

According to NHTSA, drowsy-driving crashes occur most frequently between midnight and 6 a.m., or in the late afternoon — times when the human body experiences dips in its circadian rhythm. These crashes often involve only a single driver running off the road at a high rate of speed with no evidence of braking, and frequently occur on rural roads and highways.

For Macomb County drivers, this pattern is relevant to several local roads. I-94 and I-696 are long, straight freeway segments where monotony and speed combine with fatigue in ways that make lane departure and single-vehicle crashes more likely during vulnerable hours. M-53 in northern Macomb County — a long rural corridor running through Washington Township and Romeo — shares characteristics NHTSA associates with higher drowsy-driving risk. Early morning and late-night commuters on any of these roads may be more vulnerable than they realize.

Why Drowsy Driving Is Underreported

One reason drowsy driving receives less attention than alcohol or distracted driving is that it is harder to detect after a crash. There is no roadside test for fatigue the way there is for alcohol. Investigators must look for indirect indicators — absence of skid marks, single-vehicle run-off-road crashes, time of day — that suggest fatigue may have played a role. As a result, drowsy driving may be a factor in more crashes than official statistics reflect.

NHTSA notes that even short-term interventions like drinking coffee are not always sufficient. At 55 miles per hour, a driver who experiences a micro-sleep of four to five seconds travels more than 100 yards while unconscious — enough time and distance to cause a crash.

Practical Steps for Macomb County Drivers

NHTSA recommends getting seven to eight hours of sleep per night as the primary protection against drowsy driving, and advises drivers to avoid driving during the peak sleepiness periods of midnight to 6 a.m. and the late afternoon when possible. Drivers should also check prescription and over-the-counter medication labels for drowsiness warnings before getting behind the wheel.

If you find yourself drowsy while driving on I-94 or M-59, the safest response is to exit the freeway and stop in a safe, well-lit location. Pulling over on a freeway shoulder is itself a hazard — Michigan’s Move Over Law reflects the danger of stopped vehicles on high-speed roads.

What This Means If You Were in a Crash

When fatigue is believed to have contributed to a crash, that evidence may be relevant when evaluating liability and potential legal claims. Whether and how drowsiness factors into a specific legal claim depends on the facts of the crash and what evidence is available. An attorney can evaluate those questions based on the specific circumstances.

If you were injured in a crash in Macomb County and have questions about your legal options, our team may be able to help. We serve clients throughout Warren, Sterling Heights, Clinton Township, and the surrounding communities. To speak with a Michigan personal injury attorney, contact us today.

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “Drowsy Driving”