Ativan is actually being prescribed more often nowadays in the US than val/kpin/xan -- because it has "less abuse potential": bullshit, its a benzo all the same, just with weirder and goofier side effects than the "big 3", so instead of giving people with anxiety something that just slightly sedates them, doctors are now prescribing something that not only sedates them but also disorients them, causing traffic accidents and all sorts of other problems - all in the name of "fighting drug abuse".
I'd imagine that the truly exotic benzos (temazepam, midazolam, etc) are prescribed only to be taken immediately before laying down to go to sleep (otherwise all sorts of amnesia-related trouble might ensue, such as falling and hitting your head, traffic accidents, etc). I think they're prescribed very rarely, and only when all other sleep meds have failed - because they're very addictive errhmmm *cough* i mean "habit forming".