Brigham: Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of teenage deaths in the
United States and globally, and drowsy driving accounts for one out of
five of those deaths. Young people, who are especially vulnerable to
sleep deficiency, are responsible for most fatigue-related crashes. In
2007, a series of regulations for young drivers was introduced in
Massachusetts, which included more stringent penalties for unsupervised
nighttime driving by 16 and 17 year old novice drivers, and mandated
drowsy driving education. To evaluate the impact of these regulations
on teenage drivers, researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH)
examined the rate of motor vehicle crashes in junior operators (16-17
years) compared to older age groups (18-19 years and 20 years or above)
in the one year prior to, and five years after implementation.
