Pulling all-nighters studying for tests is dangerous to your health.
Being awake for 24 hours produces an impairment equivalent to a blood alcohol concentration of .10 percent, according to Daniel Drobnich, a legislative analyst for the National Sleep Foundation.
However, a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent is considered legally drunk in most states.
"When our polls show that half the people admit to driving drowsy, I think that it's a problem," said Marcia Stein, a spokeswoman for the National Sleep Foundation.
A poll conducted by the NSF in 2002 showed that 51 percent of adult American drivers, a total of about 100 million people, have admitted to driving while they are drowsy.
New Jersey was the first state to pass a law geared toward drowsy driving earlier this year, according to Drobnich.
The law passed by the state — "Maggie's Law" — updates existing statutes in New Jersey for vehicular homicide by specifically targeting drivers who get behind the wheel when tired.
According to Drobnich, the law goes a step further than existing statutes by laying out a definition of fatigue, therefore allowing tired drivers who cause accidents to be punished by law.
Maggie's Law defines fatigue as "having been without sleep in excess of 24 consecutive hours."
If convicted of violating this law, offenders can face a $100,000 fine or 10 years in prison.
The difficulty in convicting someone of violating the law lies in the fact there must be proof the offending driver was fatigued.
"This is not a perfect law," Drobnich said. "People can be tired way before they've been awake for 24 hours."
The state of Wisconsin currently does not have a law specifically aimed at drivers who drive while fatigued, according to Drobnich.
According to law professof Daniel Blinka, drowsy drivers in Wisconsin are most likely to be prosecuted under statute 940.10, Homicide by Negligent Operation of a Vehicle.
"We have laws that cover things like (Maggie's Law)," Blinka said. "We have laws that deal with reckless driving."
Homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle, according to statute 940.10, is "committed by one who causes the death of another human being by the negligent operation or handling of a vehicle."
Blinka also believes a version of Maggie's Law passed in Wisconsin would be difficult to use for prosecution.
"This is a statute that is going to be difficult to enforce because of insurmountable proof," Blinka said. "There isn't a blood test we can give for drowsy drivers."
Maggie's Law is named for Maggie McDonnell, a 20-year-old college student killed in an accident with a driver who had been awake for at least 30 hours.
When the case went to trial, a jury determined that because there was no law against drowsy driving, it could not be used against him.
The driver was given a $200 fine and a suspended jail sentence, according to Drobnich.
"Maggie's Law closes a loophole in existing statutes," Drobnich said.
According to Drobnich, the state of Washington has introduced a bill similar to Maggie's Law, and New York has also proposed similar legislation.