Partner Programs and Campaigns to Prevent Drowsy Driving

The New York Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) promotes the public awareness campaign “Stay Awake, Stay Alive” throughout the entire year, through presentations, interactive website, social media, and tabling at events.

Enhanced messaging is done during the National Sleep Foundation’s Drowsy Driving Prevention Week in Fall and the Annual Sleep Awareness Week in Spring (coinciding with Daylight Savings). The “Stay Awake, Stay Alive” message is displayed on message boards along the New York State Thruway, the I-87 Northway, and other major roadways statewide.

In April 2019, GTSC presented at the Trucking Association of New York’s (TANY) Truck Safety and Education Symposium in Saratoga Springs, NY.  The event brings together hundreds of driving professionals to focus on safety of their fleet, company, organization or municipality.  Our presentation highlights social norming on the dangers of drowsy driving, incorporating this issue into the 4 D’s of Impairment: Drugged, Drunk, Distracted and Drowsy.  For this at-risk group (professional drivers), the presentation included tools to incorporate drowsy driving awareness and countermeasures into your safety plan to address this predictable and preventable risky behavior.

The New York State Partnership for Drowsy Driving (NYPDD) was established in 2004 to educate the public and high-risk groups about the dangers of drowsy driving and to promote preventive strategies. Members of the NYPDD include representatives from the GTSC, the NYS Department of Health (DOH), NYS Association of Chiefs of Police (NYSACOP), the New York State Thruway Authority, New York State Police, DMV, NYS Motor Truck Association, AAA Hudson Valley, New York Association for Pupil Transportation, NYS Association of Traffic Safety Boards, NYS Department of Transportation and NYS Sheriffs’ Association.

Stony Brook University

In 2017, GTSC applied for an NRSF grant with our partner, Stony Brook University School of Health Technology and Management, to implement an interactive website that is dedicated to improving roadway safety by reducing the incidence of drowsy driving through education and research.

Based on the information developed from this interactive website, Stony Brook submitted a competitive grant proposal with GTSC using subject matter experts from the Polysomnographic Technology Program, School of Health Technology and Management to develop a drowsy curriculum which has been delivered to multiple colleges in the metropolitan area of New York as well as to some upstate colleges. In partnership with GTSC, Stony Brook University continues efforts to share this curriculum with other colleges throughout the state.

In March 2019 representatives from GTSC, Stony Brook University, NRSF, and the NYS Department of Health, conducted ‘Stay Awake! Stay Alive!’ events at various SUNY campuses to change perceptions and attitudes about the dangers of drowsy driving.  The NRSF had sponsored a “Stay Awake! Stay Alive! video public service announcements (PSAs) contest for students at these campuses as well.  Representatives conducted presentations at three colleges to raise awareness among young people who are most likely to drive drowsy.  Building on the success of these events, GTSC will continue to conduct outreach to colleges each year, building our capacity to engage younger drivers in our call to action to prevent drowsy driving through awareness and education towards better sleep habits to ultimately save lives on our roadways

In May 2019, GTSC and Stony Brook were again awarded a grant from the National Road Safety Foundation grant to develop an educational webinar to deter drowsy driving among law enforcement personnel as we work to change perceptions on the dangers of fatigue/drowsy driving to high-risk shift workers including law enforcement and emergency workers.

Drowsy driving training opportunities are available from GTSC which can be customized and delivered to meet your audience needs. 

Please contact Drowsy Driving Program Coordinator, Maureen Kozakiewicz, [email protected]  to request training.