Teens are always being warned of the dangers of driving while drunk. But how often are they told the dangers of driving while drowsy? Senior Nicole Rocero is one who can testify of the dangers of drowsy driving. "I was driving on the freeway at about 6 a.m.," Rocero said. "I had to pick up my cousins to take them to school. I was in the middle lane. I began to merge into the third lane. I didn't even know I had fallen asleep until another car started honking. I woke up and I was in the third lane and the car was at an angle. I had brushed a car to the edge of the freeway." Luckily, Rocero was not hurt. Others, however, are not so lucky. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 100,000 car crashes each year are at least partially caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel. Several studies have confirmed that drivers aged 15 to 24 account for more than half of those crashes. Why do older teens and young adults have such a high rate of fatigue-related accidents? Lack of experience might be the first reason that comes to one's mind, but the blame goes to the sleep-deprivation found universally in today's youth. Around 7:30 at night, the brain releases chemicals into the bloodstream which boost teenagers' energy levels, causing them to feel as if they can stay awake forever. Melatonin, a sleep-inducing chemical, is released around 10:30 at night. Teenagers do not feel tired until late at night because of melatonin's late release. High school students also stay up late due to the plethora of activities in their lives. Between school, work, homework, sports, jobs, and family life, it is often hard to find time for sleep. As a consequence of all these activities, bedtime is often delayed until everything has been accomplished. Another reason high school students may not technically be awake until second or third period is because they have to wake up before their biological alarm clocks go off. Teenagers go to bed late and get up early - not a very good combination. Once teenagers reach age 15, they need a minimum of nine hours of sleep each night. But due to their busy lives and natural chemicals released by the brain, they only sleep an average of six hours each night - shorting themselves three hours each night. Before long, those sleepless hours accumulate to the point where the teenager's body takes over and he cannot help but sleep. "The danger is, you don't even know you're falling asleep," Rocero said. Because a teenager has no idea that he is about to fall asleep, he could be anywhere when his body chooses to take a siesta. One of the worst places to fall asleep is at the wheel. Driving drowsy is rarely discussed at home or in driver's ed. The National Sleep Foundation found that only one-third of parents had talked to their children about the importance of not driving while exhausted. Rocero believes driving while tired is as dangerous as speeding and drinking while driving. "Drinking, speeding, sleeping: all of it can take a life," Rocero said. "People choose to drink and choose to speed, but no one chooses to fall asleep on the road."