Drowsiness – The New Danger Facing Teen Drivers

It’s a fact Florida teenagers are a busy group of people. From sun up to sun down, many of them are driving to and from school, engaging in extracurricular activities, hanging out at their friends’ houses, or running errands.

Once they get home, it’s time to eat and do their homework. Then it’s off to bed. But bedtime for many teens could be midnight, particularly those who work night shifts at fast-food restaurants or retail stores. After getting six hours or less of sleep, teenagers are back behind the wheel starting their daily routine all over again.

Driving while fatigued, better known as driving while drowsy, places teenagers and all other motorists at risk. While drivers of all ages may get behind the wheel when feeling tired, the focus of concern in recent years has been on teenagers.

According to the Florida Teen Safe Driving Coalition (FTSDC), 15 to 19-year-old drivers have the highest crash rate of any age groups in the state. This startling data has kept Miami, Orlando, and West Palm Beach car accident lawyer firms busy with helping to litigate these cases.

Is Your Teen Drowsy?

As a parent, there are signs to look for to tell whether your child is fatigued:

• Listlessness
• Oversleeping
• Doing poorly in school
• Inability to concentrate
• Moodiness or irritability

Sports programs, a heavy school workload, and part-time jobs can contribute to your teenager’s lack of sleep. Being drowsy while driving to school or other activities will place young motorists at risk for a vehicle crash.

Driving While Drowsy

The FTSDC, in its White Out Teen Crashes 2011 Manual, stated that teens are at risk when driving after 9 p.m. because they are more sleep-deprived and do not have much experience driving at night. This shows that young drivers are more likely to be involved in crashes during late night and early morning hours.

This was evident in a tragic accident involving a Palm Beach County teenager on New Year’s Day. Jupiter police responded to a crash just before 3 a.m. involving a 17-year-old driver. According to police, the teenager lost control of her vehicle as she turned eastbound on Toney Penna Drive and struck a pole. It is not clear whether the driver was sleep-deprived since the cause of the crash was not stated by police.

How You Can Help

To ensure your teen gets the sleep he/she needs to be healthy and safe, you can do the following:

1. Limit after-school work hours.

2. Limit your teen’s after-school socializing.

3. Limit running family-related errands after school.

4. Limit school-related activities that extend the school day.

5. Make sure your child abides by driving times for teenagers under your state’s law.

For instance, Florida does not have criminal penalties for drowsy driving, but if fatigue is the cause of a vehicle crash, a driver can be charged with reckless driving or manslaughter, given that the crash results in a fatality. Florida has set aside the first week of September as “Drowsy Driving Prevention Week.” But, you don’t have to wait until September to talk to your teen about drowsy driving.

One suggestion to explain the effects of drowsy driving is to wait until late evening and go to your teen’s room. Start talking to them about your childhood, which will often result in your teen getting bored (as they usually do when parents talk to them in depth). As they start to drift off, interject with, “Now, this is what drowsy driving feels like.” If they are smart, the message will sink in and they will take heed to your warning.

Jamica Bell is a freelance writer and concerned parent of young drivers. As they spend more and more time on the roads, she is more vigilant than ever about ensuring they get ample rest each night. During her research, she found valuable information on the site of a West Palm Beach car accident lawyer , which confirmed the importance of staying alert behind the wheel to avoid catastrophe.

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