According to a study recently released online in the JAMA Pediatrics journal, drivers between the ages of 17 and 24 who report having slept 6 or fewer hours per night were about 20 percent more likely to be involved in an auto accident than those who slept longer than 6 hours per night.
This study, which was conducted on participants in New South Wales, Australia, was not highlighting a new problem: sleep deprivation and “drowsy driving” are well-known factors contributing to auto accidents. The novelty of this study was that it focused young drivers and found that sleep affected young drivers’ ability to drive safely more their age, number of driving hours per week, and even risky driving behaviors like speeding.
JAMA emphasized that young drivers should be a focus of driver safety efforts because they already experience more impairment in alertness, mood, and physical performance than older drivers.
If you or your child has been injured in an auto accident in Oregon, don’t hesitate to call the experienced auto accident injury attorneys at Dwyer Williams Cherkoss PC today for your free consultation at 541-617-0555.