Case Study: Reducing Crash Risk for Young Drivers: A Randomized Control Trial to Improve Sleep

Client: National Health and Medical Research Council

Term: 2019 - 2021

Road trauma is the number one cause of death and permanent disability for young Australians aged 18-24. There are significant health, social and economic costs of road trauma.

This research project, led by Professor Simon Smith, aims to test the benefit of an intervention to improve driving safety in young adults at increased risk for fatigue-related crash using an innovative control trial in road safety. Preliminary studies show that habitual sleep duration in young drivers can be increased, and this study will test the benefit of this intervention in a randomised control trial. If effective, the program could be rapidly implemented into novice driver training for primary prevention of fatigue-related road trauma, and it could significantly reduce medical, social and individual costs of road trauma.