Sleep-Deprived Teenagers at Increased Risk for Injuries From Car Wrecks

A recent study from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that teenagers who suffer from sleep deprivation are at a greater risk for sports injuries and car crashes. Unintentional injury sustained in motor vehicle crashes is the major cause of death among teenagers. In an examination of risk behaviors in teenagers that led to fatal motor vehicle accidents, such as failing to wear a seatbelt, texting while driving, or drunk driving, the study found that sleep deprivation, or seven or fewer hours per night, led to a significant increase in these risk behaviors. It is typically recommended that teenagers get an average of nine hours of sleep per night, but for a teenager to get less than nine hours of sleep is very common.

For instance, of the teens who reported getting nine hours of sleep per night, almost five percent admitted to drinking while driving in the past month. However, for those teens who reported getting six hours of sleep per night, the percentage of teens who had drank and drove in the past month doubled to ten percent. Plus, for those teens who got only four hours of sleep or less per night, the percentage increased to 17%.

The study attributes several reasons for teenagers tending to get less than the recommended amount of sleep per month. These reasons include the fact that teenagers tend to have poor sleep habits, such as using electronics in the bedroom and engaging in irregular sleep patterns. For example, teens often get up very early during the school week, and then sleep much later on the weekends in an attempt to make up for lost sleep during the week.

If you or a loved one suffers serious or fatal injuries in a motor vehicle accident, you may be entitled to compensation from the party or parties who are responsible for the accident that led to those injuries. In order to develop your claim for damages, we must determine which party or entity was at fault for the accident, acted in a negligent or reckless manner, or otherwise acted in a manner that caused death or injury to your loved one. At Boller & Vaughan, our Madison accident lawyers can help you with this inquiry and carefully guide you through any personal injury or wrongful death claims that you may have against various responsible parties.