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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 reanizations, 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 Panelwill 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 Panelwill 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.”
