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. (Online First)
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 .)
Editor's Note: The authors made conflict of interest disclosures. This study was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, and numerous other organizations. Please see the articles for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
JAMA Pediatrics