Lack of sleep in young drivers increases risk for motor vehicle crashes

May 21 2013

A study by Alexandra L. C. Martiniuk, M.Sc, Ph.D., of The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney, Australia, and colleagues suggests less sleep per night is associated with a significant increase in the risk for motor vehicle crashes for young drivers.

Questionnaire responses were analyzed from 19,327 newly licensed drivers from 17 to 24 years old who held a first-stage provisional license between June 2003 and December 2004. Researchers also analyzed licensing and police-reported crash data, with an average of 2 years of follow up.

On average, individuals who reported sleeping 6 or fewer hours per night had an increased risk for crash compared with those who reported sleeping more than 6 hours. Less weekend sleep was significantly associated with an increased risk for run-off-road crashes. Crashes for individuals who had less sleep per night (on average and on weekends) were significantly more likely to occur between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.

"This provides rationale for governments and health care providers to address sleep-related crashes among young drivers," the study concludes.
(JAMA Pediatr. Published online May 20, 2013. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.1429. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com.)

Source: The George Institute for Global Health