drowsy driving in teen drivers Tag Archives

Published on: July 22, 2024

Study Explores Drowsy Driving Car Accident Risks of Teen Motorists

As many as one in 6 teen drivers in the United States admits to driving while drowsy. This indicates that the problem of drowsy driving among younger motorists is far more complex than we believe.

Those findings came from a recent study that was conducted by the National Sleep Foundation. The findings of the study were presented at a conference of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies and published in the Sleep journal. The researchers estimate that 1.7 million teenagers have driven while drowsy, and more than 400,000 have done so at least once in a week. The researchers believe that these findings are troubling because we are dealing with teenage motorists or novice drivers with very little experience in driving safely and avoiding auto accidents.

According to the study, teen drivers are aware that drowsy driving is dangerous and can increase their chances of being involved in a car accident. In the study, as many as 95% of them admitted that they believed that drowsy driving was dangerous, but most of them did not believe that it was as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol or even driving while using a cell phone. Clearly, the dangers of drowsy driving are not as apparent to teen drivers. Teenagers who had jobs were twice as likely to drive while exhausted or sleepy compared to those with no jobs. Most teenage motorists in the study blamed their work and study schedules for their lack of sleep.

Published on: December 27, 2023

Teens at High Risk of Drowsy Driving Car Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Young drivers below the age of 21 may be at a high risk of driving while fatigued or drowsy, increasing their risks of being involved in a car accident. Those findings come from a new study by the National Sleep Foundation.

The National Sleep Foundation recently released the results of a new study that specifically focused on the effects of drowsy driving on teenage drivers. The findings of the study were released in time to coincide with Drowsy Driving Awareness Week in November.

According to the National Foundation study, drowsy driving is linked to as many as 20% of all fatal car accidents in the United States and another 13% of all car accidents resulting in personal injuries. As many as 16% of teenage drivers admit to having operated a motor vehicle while drowsy or sleepy at least once. That makes it at least 1 in 16 drivers or 1.7 million teenagers who have operated a car when they were so sleepy that they could barely keep their eyes open. As many as 400,000 teenagers admitted to having operated a motor vehicle while drowsy at least once a week. That makes it a higher percentage of drowsy teenage drivers on our roads compared to drowsy adults.

Published on: June 17, 2010

Sleep Deprivation as a Factor in Teen Auto Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A new study is raising questions about whether delayed school timings could decrease the number of auto accidents in which teenagers are involved. The thought is that helping teenagers get enough sleep at night would allow them to drive more safely the next day thereby decreasing the likelihood of auto accidents.

The study conducted by researchers in Virginia, compared two towns, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. In Virginia Beach, classes started at around 7:20 AM, and the number of auto accidents involving teen motorists there was 41% higher than the number of auto accidents in Chesapeake, where the classes started at around 8:40 AM.

This wasn’t the first study that indicated that lack of sleep may be another contributing factor increasing a teen motorist’s risk of an accident. Last year, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, found that there was a reduction in teen auto accident rates by approximately 16.5% when school times were delayed by an hour.