Where NJ ranks for falling asleep at the wheel

New Jersey was the first state to pass a law against drowsy driving. “Maggie’s Law” was signed into law in 2003 and says if a driver kills someone after not sleeping for more than 24 hours, that driver can face a charge of vehicular homicide.

The law was named for Maggie McDonnell, who was killed in 1997 by a driver who had not slept in 30 hours. The driver got off with a mere $200 fine because the jury could not consider driver fatigue.

Remember the tragic truck accident that put comic Tracy Morgan in the hospital in critical condition and took the life of fellow comic James McNair? It happened more than a decade after Maggie’s Law was passed and involved a trucker who hadn’t slept in 24 hours. The driver was charged accordingly but received PTI (pre-trial intervention).

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It brought renewed attention to Maggie’s Law and the dangers of drowsy driving. Experts say going without sleep for 24 hours puts you at the same risk as driving drunk with a .08 BAC.

So, has all that attention done some good in New Jersey?

A new study has ranked states according to the percentage of drowsy driving fatalities between 2018 and 2022. It was done by the personal injury firm Anidjar & Levine.

The worst state with the highest percentage was Wyoming. Ranking number 1, Wyoming had 8.37% of its vehicular fatalities attributed to drowsy driving.

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You’ll be glad to know New Jersey was in 42nd place. Not very many states were safer than ours. Only 0.38% of our fatalities were due to drowsy driving.

I know New Jersey has too many regulations and laws, but Maggie’s Law is a good one we can live with—literally.