Many schools are now proposing changing the start of study period at a much later time. A recent result that correlates increased crash rate and lack of sleep among teens due to early school start times can add to the growing reasons.
According to the research, teen student drivers who have to report to a class very early in the morning are more than likely to figure in an accident than those who begin beyond 7:30 a.m.
The study, which was conducted as part of a campaign launched by the National Health Sleep Awareness Project called Awake the Wheel, compared crash statistics involving teens in two counties in Virginia, namely, Henrico and Chesterfield, between the years of 2009 and 2010.
They discovered that teen drivers in Chesterfield County posted 29% higher crash rate than in those in the other county. These Chesterfield County teens, moreover, needed to arrive in their high school for a 7:20 a.m. class. High school classes in Henrico County, meanwhile, began at almost 9:00 a.m.
The researchers conducted a similar study the following year among teen drivers between the ages of 16 and 17 years old. They discovered that, like in the previous year, crash rates were higher in Chesterfield than in Henrico, although there's not much difference with regard to crashes involving adults.
When the researchers tried to uncover the main reasons for these crashes, they found out that teen drivers were more than likely to experience crashes due to off-roading, which normally happens when the driver is feeling drowsy or sleepy.
The researchers therefore surmised, based on the data they have gathered, that teen drivers are vulnerable to lack of sleep and that early start times in school only add to the reduced sleep. Because these teens don't get enough sleep, they experience its negative consequences including poorer performance in school and increased chances of crashing their vehicle.
