Cited by 95Traffic and Road SafetySleep and Work-Related FatigueSleep and related disorders

Dissimilar teen crash rates in two neighboring southeastern Virginia cities with different high school start times

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Vorona, Robert Daniel, Szklo-Coxe, Mariana, Wu, Andrew, Dubik, Michael, Zhao, Yueqin, Ware, J. Catesby·2011·Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine

Abstract

Study objectives Early high school start times may contribute to insufficient sleep leading to increased teen crash rate. Virginia Beach (VB) and Chesapeake are adjacent, demographically similar cities. VB high schools start 75-80 minutes earlier than Chesapeake's. We hypothesized that VB teens would manifest a higher crash rate than Chesapeake teens.Methods The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) provided de-identified, aggregate 2008 and 2007 data for weekday crashes and crash times in VB and Chesapeake for drivers aged 16-18 years ("teens"), and provided 2008 and 2007 crash data for all drivers. Data allowed comparisons of VB versus Chesapeake crash rates for teens (overall and hour-by-hour), and teens versus all other ages. We compared AM and PM traffic congestion (peak hours) in the two cities.Results In 2008, there were 12,916 and 8,459 Virginia Beach and Chesapeake 16- to 18-year-old drivers, respectively. For VB and Chesapeake, teen drivers' crash rates in 2008 were 65.8/1000 and 46.6/1000 (p < 0.001), respectively, and in 2007 were 71.2/1000 and 55.6/1000. Teen drivers' crash peaks in the morning occurred one hour earlier in VB than Chesapeake, consistent with school commute time. Congestion data for VB and Chesapeake did not explain the different crash rates.Conclusions A significantly increased teen crash rate for both 2008 and 2007 occurred in VB, the city with earlier high school start times. Future studies using individual level data may clarify if sleep restriction, circadian dyssynchrony, and sleep inertia might contribute to this increased crash rate.

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Crossref · 10.5664/jcsm.28101

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  • In both cities, teen crashes peaked during the morning commute.

    “For both cities, teen crashes peaked during the morning commute time.87”

    From School Start Times, Sleep, Behavioral, Health, and Academic Outcomes: a Review of the Literature (2016) · cites this paper as [87]

    The temporal-pattern passage reports a morning crash-rate peak in each city during the likely school commute. But the same section reports higher afternoon rates, including the greatest rate in Chesapeake, so the morning was not the overall peak in either city. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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  • School hours often contribute to the increased crash rate of teens.

    “In contrast, school hours often contribute to the increased crash rate of teens [58] .”

    From Understanding the potential key risk factors associated with teen driver crashes in the United States: A literature review (2023) · cites this paper as [58]

    The Abstract says early high school start times may contribute to increased teen crash rates, and the Conclusions report a higher teen crash rate in the city with the earlier start time. The paper does not establish that school hours often cause higher crash rates: it describes the explanation as possible and notes that other unmeasured factors could account for the difference. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  • Teen crash rates in 2007 and 2008 were significantly higher in the city with the earlier start time.

    “In 2007 and 2008, the teen crash rates were significantly higher in the city with an earlier school start time.87”
  • Another study comparing two cities of similar size and demographics found that the city with the later school start time (75-80 minutes later) had 16-19% fewer teenage car accidents per year per capita.

    “Similarly, another study comparing two cities of similar size and demographics found that the city with the later school start time (75-80 minutes later) had 16-19% fewer teenage car accidents per year per capita [192].”

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Authors
Vorona, R. D., Szklo-Coxe, M., Wu, A., Dubik, M., Zhao, Y., & Ware, J. C.
Affiliations
  • Sentara Norfolk General Hospital (US)
  • Eastern Virginia Medical School (US)
Corresponding author
Vorona, Robert Daniel
Venue
Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine
Published
2011-04-15
Volume
7
Issue
2
Pages
145-151
ISSN
  • 1550-9389 (ISSN-L)
  • 1550-9397
OpenAlex
W1540196982
Cited by
95
References
23
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 5
FWCI
18.89
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Old Dominion University
  • Eastern Virginia Medical School
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality › Traffic and Road Safety
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
Keywords
teen drivers, traffic accidents, insufficient sleep, sleep restriction, circadian misalignment, sleep inertia, school commute, traffic congestion, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake
MeSH terms
Accidents, Traffic, Adolescent, Age Factors, Humans, Schools, Sleep, Time Factors, Virginia

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