It's no secret that millions of Americans are sleep-deprived, and being drowsy at the wheel is adding to the dangerous mix of cell phones and texting that drivers face each day.

In a new study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 41 percent of drivers admitted that at some point in their lives, they had nodded off at the wheel. Eleven percent said they'd fallen asleep within the past year, and the Chicago Tribune reported that some drivers confessed they had been asleep for more than a minute on a multilane road.

After analyzing the new data, researchers say accidents involving sleepy drivers are responsible for significantly more accidents than previously thought.

"Many of us tend to underestimate the negative effects associated with fatigue and sleep deprivation," Kathleen Marvaso, a vice president with AAA, told the Chicago Tribune.

According to the study, men and teenagers are the most likely to fall asleep while driving.


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