A lack of sleep may be behind a surge in traffic accidents among teens in Virginia Beach.

Robert Vorona, MD, associate professor of internal medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School, looked at 2008 Department of Motor Vehicles data for the adjacent cities of Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. The study found a 41 percent higher rate of motor vehicle accidents among teen drivers in Virginia Beach than in demographically similar Chesapeake.

The study suggests, but does not prove, that sleep may be the culprit. Teen drivers in Virginia Beach may not get enough sleep in part because Virginia Beach schools open more than an hour earlier than those in Chesapeake.

Dr. Vorona presented his research findings June 9 at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in San Antonio. The meeting draws sleep researchers from all over the world.

For more about the study, read The Virginian-Pilot account.