You may be dealing with the after-effects of a car crash in California, but if you intend to file a personal injury claim, one of the essential steps is proving the other’s negligence. Perhaps the defendant is a teen driver; in that case, you may want to know that teens can become negligent behind the wheel for a number of reasons. One possible reason is drowsiness caused by an early start to school.
AASM against early school start times
Middle and high schools should start no sooner than 8:30 a.m. according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Teens need 8 to 10 hours of sleep, and they tend to get it by sleeping later into the day. If schools interrupt this sleep schedule, they raise the risk for drowsy driving, distracted driving and all-around risk-taking behind the wheel.
Study links school start times with teen crash rate
One study, focusing on the effects of a school start time change in Fairfax County, Virginia, has linked later start times to a decrease in the rate of car crashes involving licensed drivers aged 16 to 18. Specifically, the county bumped the start times up from 7:20 a.m. to 8:10 a.m. The teen crash rate went from 31.63 per 1,000 drivers in the year before the change to 29.59 in the year subsequent to it.
A lawyer to help you move forward
Motor vehicle crashes can impact victims for years and even decades to come. You want to be compensated for medical expenses both past and future, lost wages and any pain and suffering, which is why it may be wise to hire a lawyer. A lawyer may handle all negotiations for a settlement and keep you informed of all developments.
