National Sleep Foundation Expands Drowsy Driving Programs to Enhance Sleep Health and Safety

New Drowsy Driving Leadership Forum will Include Exclusive Data Release

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) today announced a significant expansion of its national focus on sleep health and safety, highlighted by the upcoming 2026 NSF Drowsy Driving Forum on October 29, 2026, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., followed by Drowsy Driving Prevention Week® (November 1–7, 2026).

 For nearly two decades, NSF's annual Drowsy Driving Prevention Week campaign has addressed the preventable road crashes, injuries, and deaths due to drowsy driving. NSF is expanding its leadership efforts with a more comprehensive, year-round program of activities that includes educational resources, research, collaborations with sleep health and safety organizations, and public engagement.

Following the success of last year's inaugural event, the 2026 NSF Drowsy Driving Forum will expand to feature two distinct thought leader panels that convene experts from government, transportation safety, sleep health and clinical sleep medicine, and industry. Both panels will examine the road safety risks associated with drowsy driving and identify practical solutions to prevent crashes, injuries, and death from this tragic, preventable impairment.

The initial Leadership Panel will feature senior leaders from federal roadway safety agencies and the automotive industry to discuss national priorities, emerging challenges, and effective actions that can reduce drowsy driving and benefit public health and safety.

The second Solutions & Action Panel will feature national experts from roadway safety, transportation, population research, and clinical sleep medicine. This panel will include the exclusive release of the 2026 NSF Drowsy Driving survey data results that will be the basis for a discussion of evidence-based strategies and collaborations that can help drivers stay alert and prevent fall-asleep crashes.

Mark R. Rosekind, PhD, Chair of the National Sleep Foundation Board of Directors, former Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and prior Member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will moderate the Forum. Additional program details, speaker announcements, and registration information will be released in the coming weeks. The NSF Drowsy Driving Forum is open to all interested parties with no cost to attend.

"Drowsy driving remains one of the most underrecognized yet preventable roadway safety risks facing our nation," said Rosekind. "This year's expanded Forum will bring together leaders across government, transportation, sleep health and medicine, and industry to discuss the problem, examine new data, and identify meaningful actions that can save lives. The National Sleep Foundation is expanding its leadership in sleep health and safety by making drowsy driving prevention an ever-present national priority."

NSF independently produces Drowsy Driving Prevention Week and all related official educational content. NSF's drowsy driving prevention resources are available at www.theNSF.org.

About Drowsy Driving
Drowsy driving is impaired driving and accounts for an estimated one in five fatal crashes on U.S. roads. Although 95% of Americans recognize drowsy driving as dangerous, nearly two-thirds report having driven while so tired they had difficulty keeping their eyes open. Among new drivers, one in six teens report driving drowsy within their first two years behind the wheel.

About the National Sleep Foundation
There's only one National Sleep Foundation (NSF). NSF is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health and well-being through sleep education and advocacy. Founded in 1990, the NSF is committed to advancing excellence in sleep health theory, research and practice. For over 35 years, NSF has promoted sleep health through expert recommendations, consensus guidelines, tech standards, and easy-to-use evidence-based tips and tools to improve sleep.

For more information about NSF, visit www.theNSF.org │ SleepHealthJournal.org

SOURCE National Sleep Foundation