Every week there seems to be a new study on teen driving and teen car accidents and this week is not any different. According to a new study on teenage car accidents and teen driving, teenagers who get an additional hour of sleep every night will be safer on the road and less likely to be involved in a car accident. While the advice the study offers may seem obvious, many Americans including teenagers often do not get enough sleep. In addition, the extra hour of sleep also positively affects school performance.

The new study compared teenage car crash rates for high schoolers ages 16 to 18 and school start times in Virginia. In Virginia Beach, Virginia, high school classes begin between 7:20 a.m. and 7:25 a.m. In nearby Chesapeake, Virginia high school classes begin between 8:40 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. The study found that students who were early risers were less alert while behind the wheel and were more likely to experience daytime sleepiness. The lead author of the study concluded that later high school start times allow for more alert high school drivers because they are likely to get more sleep.

The study compared the teenage car crash rates for the two communities. In Virginia Beach there were 65.8 car accidents for every 1,000 teen drivers, and in Chesapeake there were 46.6 teen car crashes for every 1,000 teen drivers. The comparisons were based on information from 2007. Seven or eight hours of sleep are recommended for adults and teenagers should get nine hours of sleep every night, especially during the week.

Source: wfaa.com, "Teens drive better with more sleep," 4/24/11