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Fatal traffic accidents among trailer truck drivers and accident causes as viewed by other truck drivers
Abstract
Causality factors, the responsibility of the driver and driver fatigue-related factors were studied in fatal two-vehicle accidents where a trailer truck driver was involved during the period of 1991-1997 (n = 337). In addition, 251 long-haul truck drivers were surveyed in order to study their views regarding contributing factors in accidents involving trucks and the development of possible countermeasure against driver fatigue. Trailer truck drivers were principally responsible for 16% of all the accidents. Younger driver age and driving during evening hours were significant predictors of being principally responsible. In addition, the probability of being principally responsible for the accident increased by a factor of over three if the driver had a chronic illness. Prolonged driving preceding the accident, accident history or traffic offence history did not have a significant effect. Only 2% of the drivers were estimated to have fallen asleep while driving just prior to the accident, and altogether 4% of the drivers had been tired prior to the accident. Of the drivers 13% had however, been driving over 10 h preceding the accident (which has been criminally punishably in Finland since 1995 under the EC regulation) but no individual factors had a significant effect in predicting prolonged driving. The surveyed views regarding causes of truck accidents correspond well with the accident analysis. Accidents were viewed as being most often caused by other road users and driver fatigue was viewed to be no more than the fifth (out of eight) common cause of accidents. The probability of viewing fatigue as a more common cause increased significantly if the driver had experienced fatigue-related problems while driving. However, nearly half of the surveyed truck drivers expressed a negative view towards developing a technological countermeasure against driver fatigue. The negative view was not related to personal experiences of fatigue-related problems while driving.
... Many car accidents could be addressed to fatigue Di Stasi et al., 2015;Haq & Hasan, 2016;. It decreased driving performance (Haq & Hasan, 2016;Melnicuk et al., 2016) and drivers themselves indicated it as a severe driving risk (Häkkänen & Summala, 2001). Depending on the publication up to 45% of the overall car accidents and 30% of the fatal road accidents were addressed to fatigue (Fan et al., 2010;Fu et al., 2016;Simon et al., 2011). ...
... Drivers more susceptible to fatigue were younger (Häkkänen & Summala, 2001), and had a disturbed sleep cycle . The group significantly affected by fatigue were professional drivers and they frequently addressed their accidents to this factor . ...
... No definition (Häkkänen & Summala, 2001), (Mittal et al., 2016) No definition, but authors provide psychological, behavioural or physiological symptoms ...
Background: automation offers the potential to mitigate or reduce the risks related to driving. However, there are also some new challenges for drivers related to semi‐automated driving. Two phases of semi-automated driving that raised concerns of the researchers were a period of automation that requires a monitoring activity from the driver and the take-over of manual control following the automated mode. Topic: the aim of this doctoral thesis was to propose models of the driver state monitoring in semi-automated vehicles and present data on the psychophysiological changes occurring during semi-automated driving, as well as the circadian effect on semi-automated driving and driver state monitoring. Methods: fifty-two participants were recruited to the experiment on semi-automated driving. They participated in two experimental sessions day-time session (9 a.m.- 1 p.m.) and a night-time session (10 p.m.- 2 a.m.). They went through theexperimental scenario simulating semi-automated driving with phases of manual driving, automated phase, take-over and manual driving. During the experiment their psychophysiological functions were recorded with the following measures: electrooculography, electromyography, electrocardiography, respiration belt, electrodermal activity device, oximetry for the pulse and blood oxygenation, their voice was recorded for the acoustic voice analysis, saliva was collected for the hormonal analysis, and four questionnaires were collected at different stages of the experiment. Additionally, electroencephalography was recorded; however, its analysis was not included in this thesis. Results: two predictive models were proposed to predict performance after take-over and attention during automation. Analysis of the time-course of the semi-automated driving
suggested a decrease of the driving performance after automation associated with increased sleepiness, increased fatigue, decreased readiness to take-over and decreased mental workload. Some physiological changes suggested mental underload. Comparison of the circadian phases resulted in multiple physiological, behavioural and cognitive changes. Conclusions: physiology can be used to predict the driver’s performance in semi-automated vehicles; however, the proposed models are not ready to be implemented in the cars. Automation creates a risk for driving safety due to mental underload. Sleepiness and fatigue present the largest risk for automation monitoring, while suboptimal mental workload and arousal for the safety of the take-over. The circadian phase affects the psychophysiology and performance of the driver; however, the direction of the effects requires further investigation.
... Professional drivers face a challenging work environment due to increasing road travel by non-professional and increased road transport of goods due to economic expansion; thus, the working conditions of professional drivers are dangerous and carry the risk of FVCs (10). To date, few epidemiological studies have been published on FVCs among professional drivers (7,(11)(12)(13). In addition, data specifically regarding risk factors for FVCs among professional drivers remain scant. ...
... The flowchart of the descriptive study is depicted in Figure 1. In addition, potential covariates, including history of alcoholism, cardiovascular diseases, benzodiazepine use, involvement in motor vehicle crashes, and illicit drug abuse, as well as physical condition (Charlson comorbidity index score [CCI score]) before the index date, were included in the analysis (Supplementary Table 1) (6,11,12,(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22). ...
... The data concerning conditions surrounding FVCs (collected in instances when the police immediately arrived at the scene and recorded the conditions after the FVC) were mainly retrieved from the Road Accident Registry of Injurious Crashes. The registry in-formation includes the demographic characteristics of involved parties, weather conditions, lighting conditions, car details, road conditions, and driving conditions (7,(11)(12)(13). A previous history of involvement in motor vehicle crashes was defined as the major perpetrators having had a motor vehicle crash prior to the FVC, as determined by the data collected from the Road Accident Registry of Injurious Crashes. ...
Fatal vehicle crashes (FVCs) are among the leading causes of death worldwide. Professional drivers often drive under dangerous conditions; however, knowledge of the risk factors for FVCs among professional drivers remain scant. We investigated whether professional drivers have a higher risk of FVCs than non-professional drivers and sought to clarify potential risk factors for FVCs among professional drivers. We analyzed nationwide incidence rates of FVCs as preliminary data. Furthermore, by using these data, we created a 1:4 professionals/non-professionals preliminary study to compare with the risk factors between professional and non-professional drivers. In Taiwan, the average crude incidence rate of FVCs for 2003-2016 among professional drivers was 1.09 per 1,000 person-years; professional drivers had a higher percentage of FVCs than non-professional drivers among all motor vehicle crashes. In the 14-year preliminary study with frequency-matched non-professional drivers, the risk of FVCs among professional drivers was significantly associated with a previous history of involvement in motor vehicle crashes (adjustment odds ratio [OR] = 2.157; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.896-2.453), previous history of benzodiazepine use (adjustment OR = 1.385; 95% CI, 1.215-1.579), and speeding (adjustment OR = 1.009; 95% CI, 1.006-1.013). The findings have value to policymakers seeking to curtail FVCs.
... Professional drivers face a challenging work environment due to increasing road travel by non-professional and increased road transport of goods due to economic expansion; thus, the working conditions of professional drivers are dangerous and carry the risk of FVCs (10). To date, few epidemiological studies have been published on FVCs among professional drivers (7,(11)(12)(13). In addition, data specifically regarding risk factors for FVCs among professional drivers remain scant. ...
... The flowchart of the descriptive study is depicted in Figure 1. In addition, potential covariates, including history of alcoholism, cardiovascular diseases, benzodiazepine use, involvement in motor vehicle crashes, and illicit drug abuse, as well as physical condition (Charlson comorbidity index score [CCI score]) before the index date, were included in the analysis (Supplementary Table 1) (6,11,12,(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22). ...
... The data concerning conditions surrounding FVCs (collected in instances when the police immediately arrived at the scene and recorded the conditions after the FVC) were mainly retrieved from the Road Accident Registry of Injurious Crashes. The registry in-formation includes the demographic characteristics of involved parties, weather conditions, lighting conditions, car details, road conditions, and driving conditions (7,(11)(12)(13). A previous history of involvement in motor vehicle crashes was defined as the major perpetrators having had a motor vehicle crash prior to the FVC, as determined by the data collected from the Road Accident Registry of Injurious Crashes. ...
Fatal vehicle crashes (FVCs) are among the leading causes of death worldwide. Professional drivers often drive under dangerous conditions; however, knowledge of the risk factors for FVCs among professional drivers remain scant. We investigated whether professional drivers have a higher risk of FVCs than non-professional drivers and sought to clarify potential risk factors for FVCs among professional drivers. We analyzed nationwide incidence rates of FVCs as preliminary data. Furthermore, by using these data, we created a 1:4 professionals/non-professionals preliminary study to compare with the risk factors between professional and non-professional drivers. In Taiwan, the average crude incidence rate of FVCs for 2003–2016 among professional drivers was 1.09 per 1,000 person-years; professional drivers had a higher percentage of FVCs than non-professional drivers among all motor vehicle crashes. In the 14-year preliminary study with frequency-matched non-professional drivers, the risk of FVCs among professional drivers was significantly associated with a previous history of involvement in motor vehicle crashes (adjustment odds ratio [OR] = 2.157; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.896–2.453), previous history of benzodiazepine use (adjustment OR = 1.385; 95% CI, 1.215–1.579), and speeding (adjustment OR = 1.009; 95% CI, 1.006–1.013). The findings have value to policymakers seeking to curtail FVCs.
... However, they do not consider the inevitable negative external factors (e.g. time pressure [19] and poor weather conditions [20]) that could affect drivers during their journeys. This example illustrates the danger of unfairness and the need for human moderation of the endpoint data collected by assessing the circumstances affecting driving behaviours that may lead to road incidents. ...
... The responses captured using these tools are analysed using statistical techniques to identify statements with the highest agreement, identify significant predictors of incidents or accidents, causation and correlation amongst factors, e.g. Path analysis [32], p-value of means [20], Logistic regression [20], [33], and Pearson Correlation [11], [33]. ...
... The responses captured using these tools are analysed using statistical techniques to identify statements with the highest agreement, identify significant predictors of incidents or accidents, causation and correlation amongst factors, e.g. Path analysis [32], p-value of means [20], Logistic regression [20], [33], and Pearson Correlation [11], [33]. ...
Commercial driving is a complex multifaceted task influenced by personal traits and external contextual factors, such as weather, traffic, road conditions, etc. Previous intelligent commercial driver-assessment systems do not consider these factors when analysing the impact of driving behaviours on road safety, potentially producing biased, inaccurate, and unfair assessments. In this paper, we introduce a methodology (Expert-centered Driver Assessment) towards a fairer automatic road safety assessment of drivers' behaviours, taking into consideration behaviours as a response to contextual factors. The contextual moderation embedded within the intelligent decision-making process is underpinned by expert input, comprising of a range of associated stakeholders in the industry. Guided by the literature and expert input, we identify critical factors affecting driving and develop an interval-valued response-format questionnaire to capture the uncertainty of the influence of factors and variance amongst experts' views. Questionnaire data are modelled and analysed using fuzzy sets, as they provide a suitable computational approach to be incorporated into decision-making systems with uncertainty. The methodology has allowed us to identify the factors that need to be considered when moderating driver sensor data, and to effectively capture experts' opinions about the effects of the factors. An example of our methodology using Heavy Goods Vehicles professionals input is provided to demonstrate how the expert-centred moderation can be embedded in intelligent driver assessment systems.
... Different analysis techniques have been used by the researchers to study the effects of different lifestyle and sleep-related factors on the probability of drowsy driving and associated crash risk. For instance, Girotto et al. (2016) and Sadeghniiat-haghighi et al. (2016) used multinomial logistic regression and Häkkänen and Summala (2001), Meng et al. (2015), Papadakaki et al. (2008) and Tzamalouka et al. (2005) used logistic regression. Chi-square test (Meng et al., 2015;Williamson & Friswell, 2013), Kruskal-Wallis test (Philip et al., 2002;Sabahiah et al., 2017), Spearmen correlation (Philip et al., 2002), factor analysis (McCartt et al., 2000;Sullman et al., 2002;Tsao, Chang, & Ma, 2017), multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) (Thompson & Stevenson, 2014) and Agent-Based Modeling (ABM) (Thompson et al., 2015) are also some of the commonly used analysis techniques. ...
... Younger and less experienced drivers are generally associated with higher risk of drowsy driving (Barr et al., 2005;Häkkänen & Summala, 2001;Smith et al., 2009). According to Duke et al. (2010), the drowsiness symptoms were minimum among the middle-aged drivers compared to the young and elderly drivers. ...
... Logistic regression has been used to find the significant contributors of drowsy driving and sleeprelated accident risk (e.g. Häkkänen and Summala, 2001;Meng et al., 2015;Papadakaki et al., 2008;Tzamalouka et al., 2005). In this study, the response to self-reported instances of drowsy driving in the past five years (lapses or incidences of nodding off even for a short while) was taken as the dichotomous dependent variable. ...
The aim of the study is to identify and model the role of payment incentives, driver work-rest patterns and other lifestyle habits influencing the drowsy driving behavior among long-haul truck drivers. To achieve this aim, this study targeted two main objectives: (1) to examine the significant differences between the groups of drowsy and non-drowsy drivers based on the opportunities of monetary incentives and (2) to examine the role of different factors: driver demographics, work-rest patterns, lifestyle and occupational characteristics particularly incentives associated with driving in causing driver sleepiness among Indian truck drivers. The study is based on interview responses from 453 long-haul truck drivers approached in three Indian cities – Mumbai, Indore and Nagpur. Initial principal component analysis of the responses related to financial incentives (occupational characteristics) resulted into two correlated factors: (i) willingness to earn extra payments if offered (WEP) and (ii) incentives available in the current driving experience (ICD) that influence driver work-rest patterns and alertness while driving. Kruskal-Wallis test showed a significant difference among the groups of sleepy and non-sleepy drivers due to these factors (WEP and ICD). Finally, a logistic regression model showed that long driving duration, working days per week, rest patterns, insufficient sleeping hours and history of violations were found significantly associated with drowsy driving among the long-haul truck drivers. Increase in consumption of caffeine and tobacco indicated reduction in driver alertness. According to the model results, the odds of drowsy driving were 77% less for drivers between 46 and 55 years compared to the young drivers (<25 years). Driving under the influence of financial incentives was observed to increase the odds of falling asleep by 1.58 times among the truck drivers. This was apparently the most interesting and intriguing result of the study indicating the need for further research on the influence of financial or socio-economic motivations to sleepiness.
... La moitié de nos chauffeurs (50,3 %) travaillaient plus de 12 heures par jour et 72,4 % avaient un rythme de travail atypique. Dans une étude en Israël, seuls 38 % travaillaient plus de 12 heures par jour [20]. Malgré un besoin ressenti, seuls 44,1 % de nos chauffeurs faisaient la sieste ; la plupart devait s'en passer en raison des contraintes professionnelles liées à une durée de travail quotidienne importante et à une pression de temps. ...
... La somnolence au volant a été retrouvée chez 53,4 % de nos chauffeurs ; ce taux élevé peut être expliqué par des conditions de travail difficiles : durée quotidienne de travail élevée associée à une durée de sommeil insuffisante. Plusieurs enquêtes ont rapporté des taux de somnolence plus bas : 29 %, 30 %, 32 % et 47 % [4,11,20,25]. L'insuffisance de sommeil chez des conducteurs était significativement associée à l'hypovigilance et aux accès d'endormissements au volant [4,12,26]. La somnolence au volant serait d'autant plus importante que la durée de conduite est longue [21], que le début de conduite est tôt dans la journée [5], que les périodes de repos sont courtes, que les horaires sont variables [21] et que les chauffeurs travaillent sur des postes du soir [3]. ...
... Des enquêtes, sur les accidents liés à la somnolence chez les conducteurs poids-lourds, ont rapporté des taux allant de 2 % à 15-20 % et à 20-30 %[4, 12, 29]. D'autres études ont montré que la durée de conduite supérieure à 12 h avait un grand impact dans le risque accidentogène [20,30,31]. La tranche d'âges de 50 à 60 ans de nos chauffeurs était la plus impliquée dans les accidents en relation avec la somnolence. ...
... Driving a truck increases the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. The risk of accidents and musculoskeletal disorders is mostly attributed to factors such as humans, vehicles, working conditions, and other variables [14]. Numerous studies have been conducted on the occupational hazards of truck drivers, most of which focus on the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders caused by work-related factors. ...
... In Iran, the share of human factors against other causes of traffic accidents is not well known, even though they are the most important causes [12][13]. A topic that has received much attention in the transportation industry is the association between accident risk and poor condition, seat status, immobility, WMSD, and long-distance driver fatigue [14]. In addition, in various studies, the accidents of truck drivers on the roads have received less attention in terms of occupational diseases. ...
... Moore et al. (Moore, 2011) observed that more crashes occurred at intersections with combined curves and that injury severities of the crashes tend to be much more severe (Moore, 2011). Other risk factors of curve roadway safety also include speed limits (Chang and Mannering, 1999), urban and rural area differences (Khorashadi, 2005), environment conditions (Young and Liesman, 2007), and driver fatigue (Häkkänen and Summala, 2001). ...
... Most studies on curvature crash analysis are focused solely on horizontal curves, vertical curves or horizontal curves with a grade, within a small study area (Easa and You, 2009;Lord et al., 2010;Zegeer et al., 1990;Schneider et al., 2010;Brimley et al., 2012;Labi, 2006;Savolainen and Mannering, 2007;Olson, 1984;Klop and Khattak, 1999;Ulfarsson and Mannering, 2004;Moore, 2011;Harwood and F.M.C., E. Hauer, W.E. Hughes, and A. Vogt, 2000;Persaud et al., 2000;Fitzpatrick et al., 2000;Chang and Mannering, 1999;Khorashadi, 2005;Young and Liesman, 2007;Häkkänen and Summala, 2001). Few studies have incorporated geometric alignment information on local roads in a relatively wide area. ...
Vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death in the United States. Curvature in local roadways has been identified as one of the most significant factors that lead to fatal crashes. Given the large number of local roads and their relatively low traffic volume-compared with interstates or freeways-most local roads may not receive priorities in the first phase of highway upgrades, and critical locations, e.g., sharp curves (vertical and/or horizontal), in the network may be a deadly threat for both advanced autonomous vehicles and conventional vehicles. Furthermore, identifying local roadway curvatures presents various obstacles, such as high budgets and lack of survey data. To fill this gap, this study offers a low-cost approach to constructing three-dimensional geometric profiles for local roads in a relatively large study area using open-source data. Given these profiles, critical road segments, including extreme horizontal and vertical curves and their combinations, can be identified. This study reclassifies the local road segments into 20 sub-categories based on the calculated vertical grades and curve radii and incorporates those segments into a zero-inflated native binomial model for crash occurrence. Model results showed that grades or curves were associated with decreased crash frequency compared with straight and flat roads. However, segments with larger horizontal curve radii and low grades were found to be associated with increased crash frequency. Further implications are discussed in the paper.
... Heavy vehicle crashes involve high economic costs and relatively greater injury severity compared to smaller vehicles (such as passenger cars). Thus, there are continuous efforts to improve the safety of commercial vehicles around the world (Blower, Green, & Matteson, 2010;Cantor, Corsi, Grimm, & Ozpolat, 2010; Guang X. Chen et al., 2015;Häkkänen & Summala, 2001;C. Tseng, Yeh, Tseng, Liu, & Lee, 2016). ...
... Long-haul truck drivers spend more time behind the wheel as compared to other drivers, and therefore, it becomes necessary to study the safety risks such as traffic rules violations and fatigue (Häkkänen & Summala, 2001). The above literature suggests the contribution of different factors such as driver age, education and socio-economic background have been extensively focused in previous research related to violations specifically among car drivers (Bener et al., 2007;Poirier, Blais, & Faubert, 2018;Shinar, 1993;Shinar et al., 2001). ...
... For fatal crashes involving trucks, previous studies have mainly focused on driver fatalities (Brodie, Lyndal, & Elias, 2009;Häkkänen & Summala, 2001;Lombardi, Horrey, & Courtney, 2017;Weaver & Bédard, 2013). However, Slovic, Lichtenstein, and Fischhoff (1984) indicated that the social impact of fatal accidents cannot be accurately measured by only considering the fatalities, and the detailed characteristics of casualties should be analyzed comprehensively. ...
... Truck-involved crash analysis has attracted worldwide attention (Brodie et al., 2009;Häkkänen & Summala, 2001;Lombardi et al., 2017;Slovic et al., 1984;Weaver & Bédard, 2013). Previous studies have mainly identified the key risk factors from driver-, vehicle-, roadway-, environment-, and collision-related perspectives (Chang & Mannering, 1999;Dong et al., 2013;Lemp, Kockelman, & Unnikrishnan, 2011;Zhu & Srinivasan, 2011;Chang & Chien, 2013;Yang, Guo, & Xu, 2019). ...
Introduction:
Fatal crashes that include at least one fatality of an occupant within 30 days of the crash cause large numbers of injured persons and property losses, especially when a truck is involved.
Method:
To better understand the underlying effects of truck-driver-related characteristics in fatal crashes, a five-year (from 2012 to 2016) dataset from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) was used for analysis. Based on demographic attributes, driving violation behavior, crash histories, and conviction records of truck drivers, a latent class clustering analysis was applied to classify truck drivers into three groups, namely, ''middle-aged and elderly drivers with low risk of driving violations and high historical crash records," ''drivers with high risk of driving violations and high historical crash records," and ''middle-aged drivers with no driving violations and conviction records." Next, equivalent fatalities were used to scale fatal crash severities into three levels. Subsequently, a partial proportional odds (PPO) model for each driver group was developed to identify the risk factors associated with the crash severity. Results' Conclusions: The model estimation results showed that the risk factors, as well as their impacts on different driver groups, were different. Adverse weather conditions, rural areas, curved alignments, tractor-trailer units, heavier weights and various collision manners were significantly associated with the crash severities in all driver groups, whereas driving violation behaviors such as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fatigue, or carelessness were significantly associated with the high-risk group only, and fewer risk factors and minor marginal effects were identified for the low-risk groups. Practical Applications: Corresponding countermeasures for specific truck driver groups are proposed. And drivers with high risk of driving violations and high historical crash records should be more concerned.
... Generally, evidence is collected which only looks at the behaviour of the driver and vehicles involved in the accident. Key findings are often based on the presence or absence of alcohol and other drugs, the identification of vehicle speed and the roadworthiness of the vehicle will be examined as well as determining if the driver was using a portable mobile device (Goel and Vidal, 2014;Häkkänen and Summala, 2001;Queensland Police Service, 2018;Soole et al., 2013;Summala and Mikkola, 1994;Wundersitz, 2014). ...
... This is the reason that each of the components or series of assessments must be successfully completed, prior to moving through to the next stage that will include an additional component (Department of Planning Transport and Infrastructure, 2018;Department of Transport, 2018). This is where the key issues in driving under the influence of alcohol, exceeding the posted speed limit or using a mobile phone (Cumiskey, 2017;Goel and Vidal, 2014;Häkkänen and Summala, 2001;Summala and Mikkola, 1994) will include guidance on the behaviours of motorcycles, trucks and other vehicle types and the blind zones these vehicles create or travel in (Peter, 2013). ...
Motor vehicle accidents have catastrophic consequences and whilst the presumption is that every accident can be identified to a single unambiguous cause, educational campaigns are being implemented to reduce the high rate of accidents that occur on the roadway. Whilst the premise behind these campaigns is to highlight the risks to the road user, they appear to be misguided in their approach by focusing on the changing the behaviours that have already been learned. To incorporate these campaigns into the Graduated Licensing Scheme new driving modules can be integrated to ensure every new motorist understands how to drive safely.
... 8 In Washington State, 60% of truck driver fatalities are vehicle-related, and half of those fatalities were caused by single vehicle accidents where drivers lost control of their truck-a type of crash where fatigue is a likely factor. [9][10][11] In 1995 the National Transportation Safety Board evaluated 182 fatal-to-the-driver large truck crashes, and found that fatigue was the principle cause of the crash in 31% of cases. 12 Thus, studying working conditions that may reduce fatigue, and improve driver sleep and well-being, is an important scientific priority. ...
... Figure 2 shows that the low frequency peaks in the floor PSDs were centered around 2 Hz and similar between the two companies. However, there were differences between companies in the higher frequency floor PSD peaks, which were centered around 14 Hz for Company 1, and 9 Hz for Company 2. As shown in Fig. 3, the PSDs for the mattresses were company dependent with Company 1 having higher PSDs compared to Company 2. With Company 1, the mattress in condition A had more higher frequency vibration energy (8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20) Hz) compared to the mattress in condition B; whereas, with Company 2, the mattress in condition A had more lower frequency vibration energy (1-4 Hz) than the mattress in condition B. ...
Objective:
To test the feasibility, acceptability, and potential effectiveness of engineering and behavioral interventions to improve the sleep, health, and well-being of team truck drivers (dyads) who sleep in moving semi-trucks.
Methods:
Drivers (n = 16) evaluated (A) an innerspring mattress and (B) a novel therapeutic mattress. A subsample (n = 8) then (C) switched to an active suspension driver's seat and completed a behavioral sleep-health program. Primary outcomes were sleep duration, sleep quality, and fatigue. Behavioral program targets included physical activity and sleep hygiene.
Results:
Self-reported sleep and fatigue improved with mattress A, and improved further with mattress B which altered vibration exposures and was kept by all drivers. Condition C improved additional targets, and produced larger effect sizes for most outcomes.
Conclusions:
Results support these interventions as promising for advancing team truck drivers' sleep, health, and well-being.
... Half of the accidents where the truck driver was found to be responsible were caused by the driver's inattention or lack of anticipation. The driver's ability to anticipate could be improved by driving slower (23). Professional drivers tend to keep smaller distances to cars in front of them relative to non-professional drivers (24). ...
... Slowing down allows for better driver anticipation (23), which, in turn, should improve traffic safety. Therefore, a VSL sign might be a beneficial part of a telematic system or could, for instance, be planted in sites with a high accident risk, such as dangerous highway exit ramps, work zones, intersections, and so forth (Khorashadi et al., 2005). ...
Using the speed of professional truck drivers, the effectiveness of speed limit signs was compared for 1) a temporary variable-message sign that uses LED technology and displays the current speed limit (hereinafter “VSL sign”) and 2) a normal vertical road sign with retroreflective sheeting (hereinafter “ordinary sign”). Measurements were made at two locations in the Czech Republic. Each location provided a different scenario with a different displayed speed limit on both types of signs (60 kph or 80kph). Similar measurements were made in a driving simulation. Drivers were more likely to slow down in the presence of a VSL sign than in the presence of an ordinary sign on a real road, however, no differences were found in the driving simulation. The overall results indicate that VSL signs seem to be respected more than ordinary signs in reducing professional truck drivers’ speed. Therefore, VSL signs may be beneficial as a part of a telematic system and in places with high accident risk.
... Outros fatores, como a idade e experiência ao volante são outras características relacionadas aos acidentes envolvendo caminhoneiros, ou seja, motoristas jovens, logo pouco experientes e menos adversos ao risco, tendem a ser os principais responsáveis por acidentes rodoviários (HÄKKÄNEN; SUMMALA, 2001). Segundo Campbell (1991), o risco de acidente envolvendo caminhoneiros aumenta significativamente quando o caminhoneiro tem menos de 30 anos. ...
... Dessa forma, o motorista pode dividir as oito horas de folga em dois períodos se o caminhão tiver um local adequado para descanso. Na União Europeia, a regulamentação vigente estipula que o tempo máximo de direção é dez horas e o tempo de descanso é de, ao menos, 11 horas por período de 24 horas (HÄKKÄNEN; SUMMALA, 2001 Lei nº 8.966, de 27.12.1994)" ...
O objetivo deste artigo é avaliar o impacto da Lei 12.619, que ficou conhecida como a "Lei do descanso", na quantidade de horas mensais trabalhadas, nos salários e nos acidentes não-fatais do trabalho (lesões e doenças) dos caminhoneiros brasileiros. Para tanto, é construído um painel de dados por indivíduos a partir de informações do Registro Anual de Informações Sociais (RAIS) do período 2011 a 2014, e estimado o método de diferenças em diferenças generalizadas (GDD) considerando a implementação desta lei em 2012, a qual dispõe sobre o exercício da profissão de motorista, visando regular e disciplinar a jornada de trabalho e o tempo de direção dos motoristas rodoviários de passageiros e motoristas rodoviários de cargas (caminhoneiros) no Brasil. Em geral, os resultados mostram que a "Lei do descanso" não gerou efeitos estatisticamente significativos em nenhuma das variáveis analisadas. Dessa forma, conclui-se que esta lei parece não ter alterado os incentivos dos caminhoneiros quanto ao cumprimento da jornada diária de trabalho e de descanso estipulada por esta nova regra, ou seja, assumir o risco da negligência parece ter sido mais vantajoso do que cumprir a referida lei.
... Heavy vehicle crashes involve high economic costs and relatively greater injury severity compared to smaller vehicles (such as passenger cars). Thus, there are continuous efforts to improve the safety of commercial vehicles around the world (Blower, Green, & Matteson, 2010;Cantor, Corsi, Grimm, & Ozpolat, 2010; Guang X. Chen et al., 2015;Häkkänen & Summala, 2001;C. Tseng, Yeh, Tseng, Liu, & Lee, 2016). ...
... Long-haul truck drivers spend more time behind the wheel as compared to other drivers, and therefore, it becomes necessary to study the safety risks such as traffic rules violations and fatigue (Häkkänen & Summala, 2001). The above literature suggests the contribution of different factors such as driver age, education and socio-economic background have been extensively focused in previous research related to violations specifically among car drivers (Bener et al., 2007;Poirier, Blais, & Faubert, 2018;Shinar, 1993;Shinar et al., 2001). ...
This study aims at capturing the influence of driver drowsiness on prevalence of traffic violations among long-haul truck drivers. The study is based on a roadside survey of 453 long-haul truck drivers, stopping at eateries and rest locations on highways connected to three Indian cities- Mumbai, Indore and Nagpur. The survey questionnaire was categorized into three sections: driver demographics, work-rest schedules and safety critical driver behavior (violations and lapses) in the last five years. The questions regarding unsafe driving practices like speeding, overtaking were combined to form a single factor ‘violations’ using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). A generalized linear model using negative binomial regression predicted young drivers (aged below 25 years), long working hours, insufficient sleeping hours, driving after mid-night, sleepiness on the wheel and frequent traffic violations as significant contributors of violations among the long-haul truck drivers.
... In the automobile sector, the human contribution plays a major role in accidents. Particularly, trailer truck drivers are responsible for 16% of all accidents [13]. It is found that the primary causes of accidents are due to error in attention and anticipation (50.8%) and error in operating the vehicle (26.3%). ...
... It is found that the primary causes of accidents are due to error in attention and anticipation (50.8%) and error in operating the vehicle (26.3%). Whereas, accidents due to technological fault constitute only 7% of the total number of accidents [13]. ...
Conventional engineering design methods used for predicting potential failures often focus on the mechanical aspects of the products and ignore the actual users. However, almost all the modern products today are either in direct or indirect contact with humans as products are designed, in use, maintained and recycled. Ignoring or poorly considering the human aspects during failure mode analysis would diminish the success of finding and preventing potential failures. This paper proposes a human-centred failure analysis methodology through integrating Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) with Systematic Human Error Reduction and Prediction Approach (SHERPA). The methodology proposed in this paper builds on the existing Functional-Failure Design Method (FFDM) and adds a layer of Human Factors Engineering (HFE) assessment to predict likely failure modes based on human-product interactions. In this research, Digital Human Modelling (DHM) is introduced as a computational method to assess human-product interactions with digital manikins, which provide opportunities to explore potential risk of human-induced failures. DHM is proposed to derive Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA) in SHERPA to capture human-product interactions before the physical prototypes or actual systems are even built.
... In General Reasons for RTAs involving trucks are multifactorial. They include human causes; (driver, passenger, or pedestrian faults) such as chronic illness, tiredness/lack of concentration, in-toxication, speed and time, plus inappropriate behavior [28][29][30], in addition to vehicle related causes, sudden obstruction, and accidents. The impact of the individual driving style is still being considered [31][32][33]. ...
... Work-related pressures, often tied to truck driving accidents, can stem from various factors such as supervisor pressure, inadequate training, and unsupportive management (Anderson et al., 2017;Delhomme & Gheorghiu, 2021;Reiman et al., 2018). Further, loading/off-loading site culture (Grytnes et al., 2016;Williams et al., 2017), as well as other road users' behavior (Gray, 2019;Häkkänen & Summala, 2001;Huang et al., 2005;Williams et al., 2017), can escalate stress. ...
Despite their critical role in the economy, truck drivers face several challenges, including adapting to advancing technology. This study explores the work experiences of Dutch truck drivers to identify their common experiences. A questionnaire was distributed to professional drivers, collecting data on public image, traffic safety, work pressure, transport crime, driver shortage, and sector improvements. Data from 3708 respondents was analyzed, including text comments via the GPT-4 model of ChatGPT. The findinds indicate Dutch drivers' general dissatisfaction with the image of the industry, reluctance to recommend the profession, and pessimism about their future in the sector. Two primary concerns were identified: 'Work Pressure', more common among national drivers, and 'Safety & Security Concerns', more common among international drivers. Vehicle technology received mixed feedback, with praise for safety and fuel-saving but concerns about reliability and intrusiveness. The study reveals that Dutch professional truck drivers face daily challenges, indicating a need for industry improvements. While the perceived work pressure for truck drivers in general may not be high relative to certain other occupational groups, truck drivers appear to face a deficit of support and respect.
... In their study from 2001, Hakkaken and Summala revealed that drivers who had a problem with their sugar blood level regulation (hyperglycemia) were involved in more accidents than their colleagues with good health status [31] . Dinges and Maislin (2006) published in their study that half of the respondents had a high body mass index, which was almost double the prevalence of overweight individuals among the general population, including men aged 45-64 (26.6% were overweight) [32] . ...
... To prevent crashes and accidents related to sleepiness, the first group to consider are the truckers [14]. Some of the major causes of accidents are characteristics related to truck driving, such as the weight of the truck, long driving distance, level of attention, and monotonousness of driving [15,16]. ...
... To prevent crashes and accidents related to sleepiness, the first group to consider are the truckers [14]. Some of the major causes of accidents are characteristics related to truck driving, such as the weight of the truck, long driving distance, level of attention, and monotonousness of driving [15,16]. ...
Autonomous vehicles have become important with the emergence of Logistics 4.0. Moreover, truck-based transport has become the critical means of transport in the logistics market. Thus, to deal with the pending issues of the logistics market, it is not enough to merely expand the workforce. Adopting autonomous trucks will also help change the truck allocation structure. This may enable horizontal and vertical integration based on the new logistics model and help address various problems faced by shipping companies. Thus, adopting autonomous trucks can provide various benefits for the logistics business, society, and consumers. However, adopting autonomous trucks does not only have benefits. Here, this study suggests truck platooning as a method of adopting autonomous trucks more efficiently. Furthermore, we approach the potential issues regarding autonomous truck adoption from various perspectives by demonstrating the efficiency of autonomous trucks as well as their problems.
... These findings align with previous studies, which indicated that male drivers committed traffic violations more often (González-Iglesias et al., 2012;Parker et al., 1995) and had lower intentions to avoid violations than did female drivers (Atombo et al., 2016). Supporting a previous study (Sadeek et al., 2019), longer commuting hours are also related to reduced intention to avoid violation, partly because of driver fatigue (Häkkänen & Summala, 2001) and time reasons. Thus, intervention programs should target these specific populations. ...
This study applies a multilevel model approach to test the predictive effect of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) plus moral norm, past behaviour and crash history to account for intentions to avoid traffic violations within the context of commuting to or from work. This study also extended the theory by adding psychological stressors of perceived stress and work-family conflict. In this study, we systematically tested the direct and mediated models. A sample of Malaysian drivers (N = 482; 44.6% were men and 55.4% women), with the average age of 36.7 years (SD = 10.0) was surveyed. The self-report questionnaire contained multiple observations nested within individual drivers, with respect to 3 different driving violations. As predicted, multi-level modelling showed that within-person predictor variables of all the TPB components emerged as independent predictors, with injunctive norm being the most predictive variable, followed by self-efficacy and cognitive attitude. Intention was also predicted by moral norms and crash history. Between-person variables, gender, commuting hours and work-family conflict also had direct influences on intention (i.e., men and those with longer commuting hours and higher work-family conflict reported lower intentions). Substantial support for the mediation model was found, confirming that stressors indirectly influence intentions through effects on the social cognitive components. The implications of the linkage between the social cognition and stressors for developing potential broader interventions focusing on multiple violation behaviours and designing appropriate safety policies to reduce commuting crashes are discussed.
... They are often stationed at their post for extended working hours with inadequate rest. This results in impaired cognition and fatigue that may lead to errors, traffic violations and, ultimately, fatal accidents (Häkkänen & Summala, 2001;Mahajan et al., 2019). Studies show that (Crizzle et al., 2017) long-haul truck drivers face additional risk factors such as stress, smoking, lack of exercise and sleep, obesity, hypertension, and poor diet. ...
The purpose of the current study was to use a mixed-methods approach to understanding safety climate and the strategies to improve safety climate among truck drivers. Using both survey (N = 7246) and interview (N = 18) responses provided by truck drivers regarding key safety climate items, the current study identified a number of positive and negative policies, procedures and practices that truck drivers perceived as the determinants of whether their organizations are committed to the promotion of safety at work. Item response theory (IRT) analyses were conducted to identify discrimination parameters indicating which safety climate items were most sensitive to the safety climate level. Discriminative items were identified at both the organization and group levels which can be used to evaluate safety climate and differentiate a high versus low safety climate across groups and organizations in the trucking industry. Based on our results, we also offer safety researchers and practitioners some recommendations on what and/or how to intervene with and promote organizational safety climate in the trucking industry.
... speeding (14.1%); and driver inattentiveness (8.7%) [5]. Other research suggests these figures may indeed be even higher, stating that passenger vehicle contribution to collisions with heavy vehicles is more likely to be around 80-83% [6,7]. ...
Sharing the road with trucks is associated with increased risk of serious injury and death for passenger vehicle drivers. However, the onus for minimising risk lies not just with truck drivers; other drivers must understand the unique performance limitations of trucks associated with stopping distances, blind spots, and turning manoeuverability, so they can suitably act and react around trucks. Given the paucity of research aimed at understanding the specific crash risk vulnerability of young drivers around trucks, the authors employ a narrative review methodology that brings together evidence from both truck and young driver road safety research domains, as well as data regarding known crash risks for each driving cohort, to gain a comprehensive understanding of what young drivers are likely to know about heavy vehicle performance limitations, where there may be gaps in their understanding, and how this could potentially increase crash risk. We then review literature regarding the human factors affecting young drivers to understand how perceptual immaturity and engagement in risky driving behaviours are likely to compound risk regarding both the frequency and severity of collision between trucks and young drivers. Finally, we review current targeted educational initiatives and suggest that simply raising awareness of truck limitations is insufficient. We propose that further research is needed to ensure initiatives aimed at increasing young driver awareness of trucks and truck safety are evidence-based, undergo rigorous evaluation, and are delivered in a way that aims to (i) increase young driver risk perception skills, and (ii) reduce risky driving behaviour around trucks.
... Brodie et al., 2009), fatigue (e.g. Häkkänen and Summala, 2001;Stevenson et al., 2013;Torregroza-Vargas et al., 2014) and drug use (e.g. Brodie et al., 2009;Williamson, 2007). ...
Given the enormous burden of road traffic injury, governments around the world have allocated significant resources in an effort to improve the safety of road users. However, limited attention has been given to high-risk driver populations; particularly work-related drivers. The level of complexity involved in the multi-agency management of road safety means that new ways of thinking about workplace road safety are required to ensure the safety of work-related drivers. This paper argues that optimizing workplace road safety intervention is contingent on a surveillance system that allows the capture of data across all levels of the transportation system. The proposed system thinking framework is focused on identifying and assigning safety performance indicators to key actors across the transportation system, rather than focusing solely on the behaviours of the individual-driver. It is argued that a system thinking workplace road safety surveillance system has the capacity to facilitate the review and revision of current risk controls and allow the design of targeted safety interventions to improve the safety of people who drive a vehicle for work. The framework is ambitious; however, it is essential to create a platform that facilitates the sharing of responsibility for workplace road safety across the transportation system and provide the evidence to ensure that interventions are appropriately targeted and evaluated. The power of this type of data capture has the potential to reframe the planning and management of road safety to reduce death and injury in the workplace.
... This pattern of findings is counterintuitive in the context of several extant studies on the effects of HOS regulations on commercial driver roadway safety, which have found that: Crash and injury rates were reduced in aggregate following the implementation of the current HOS regulations (Dick et al., 2006); drivers' rates of out-of-service violations (e.g., exceeding the 11-hour, 14-hour, or 70-hour rules) were predictors of future crash involvement (Cantor et al., 2010); longer driving times are associated with higher likelihoods of roadway crashes, and reduced driving time limits reduce crash risks (Gander et al., 2006;Goel, 2014;Hall & Mukherjee, 2008); and 10-hour rest breaks reduce roadway crash risks (Blanco et al., 2011;Garbarino et al., 2016). However, other studies have suggested that prolonged driving was not a significant predictor of having a roadway crash (Häkkänen & Summala, 2001), and that extended off-duty times or 34-hour restart periods do not effectively reduce crash risk and may increase crash risks (Blanco et al., 2016;C. Chen & Xie, 2014a;Jovanis, Wu, & Chen, 2011). ...
Introduction
U.S. long-haul truck drivers (LHTD) experience the most work-related fatalities of any occupation. Hours-of-service (HOS) regulations constitute key public policies aimed at improving safety outcomes; however, little is known about the factors that are associated with HOS compliance, and questions remain about the efficacy of HOS laws in improving safety. This study seeks to identify factors associated with HOS compliance and to determine the significance of HOS compliance in sleep-related safety risk.
Materials and methods
Using cross-sectional survey data from 260 U.S. LHTD that measured demographic, work organization, sleep health, hours-of-service compliance, and sleep-related safety performance characteristics, we: 1) compiled descriptive statistics to summarize the variables included in this study; 2) performed bivariate correlation analyses between an HOS composite variable called “Hours-of-Service Violations” and the demographic, work organization, and sleep health variables; 3) conducted an ordinal logistic regression analysis, using the HOS composite variable as the outcome variable; and 4) conducted a multinomial logistic regression analysis, using a sleep-related safety performance composite variable called “Sleep-Related Safety Risk” as the outcome variable.
Results
Higher scores on the HOS composite variable were significantly associated with more miles driven per week, longer daily work hours, a higher frequency of a fast pace of work, shorter sleep duration, and poorer sleep quality. Statistically significant predictor variables in the Hours-of-Service Violations composite variable model were driving less than 2,500 miles per week (OR = 0.53), working less than 11 h daily (OR = 0.19) or between 11 and 13 h daily (OR = 0.43); a lower frequency of fast pace of work (OR = 0.42); and worknight sleep duration (OR = 0.80). Fewer than 11 h of work daily (OR = 0.37), a higher perception of supervisor support (OR = 0.17), and ever having told supervisor about being too tired to drive (OR = 0.42) were significant predictors in the Sleep-Related Safety Risk composite variable model, while the hours-of-service compliance variables were not.
Conclusions
Reducing daily work hours and pace of work, strengthening driver-supervisor relationships and improving supervisor leadership and risk management techniques, making driver compensation fairer, and revisiting HOS policies may represent high-leverage targets for improving regulatory compliance and safety outcomes.
... Younger drivers who drove trailers had the highest accident proportion among all driving vehicle types. Consistent with these findings, Häkkänen and Summala (2001) reported that the odds of accidents increased significantly in young drivers when they drove trailer trucks compared with drivers over the age of 50. Regarding gross vehicle weights exceeding 13 tons, the younger-driver accident likelihood increased. ...
In ageing societies, the effective employment of ageing occupational drivers is one of the most important managerial concerns to be addressed to compensate for the lack of younger workers. In this study, the key factors contributing to the safety outcome in trucking transportation were identified using empirical data, including driving accident information, individual attributes, and task-related attributes. For this purpose, 306 driver records from 26 trucking companies in Japan were analysed. The driver sample was dichotomised by age into elderly drivers (age ≥ 50 years, referred to as older; N = 131) and young drivers (age < 50 years, referred to as younger; N = 175). Based on the analysis results, no significant age difference was identified in the likelihood of involvement in accidents for truck drivers. While older drivers who have penalty point records were more likely to be involved in traffic accidents, they were less affected by hard work conditions compared with young drivers. In conclusion, elderly drivers can be effectively employed as occupational drivers. They do not necessarily have a higher risk of accidents than young drivers. In addition, employment policies are proposed from a safety viewpoint, particularly for elderly truck drivers.
... Otros factores incluyeron la edad de conductor, debido a la combinación de experiencia y buena salud, la edad ideal para conducir camiones es entre los 28 y 54 años, conductores menores de 27 años obtuvieron mayores rangos de accidente/fatalidad, rango que vuelve a incrementarse en conductores mayores de 63 años (65) . El consumo de alcohol, fatiga, y problemas crónicos de salud como el sobrepeso o la obesidad, son otros factores asociados con el conductor (66,67) . ...
El creciente comercio internacional, el crecimiento poblacional y su consecuente demanda de proteínas de origen animal en los países en vías de desarrollo y emergentes, han dado lugar a un considerable aumento en el número de animales criados, transportados y procesados en todo el mundo. Esto ha derivado en un aumento de la distancia recorrida y el tiempo de viaje, estimulando ciertas mejoras en la infraestructura ganadera; camiones con mayor autonomía; capacidad de carga y adaptados a las necesidades biológicas de los animales; reducción de costos de operación; y liberalización de restricciones zoosanitarias que facilitan el comercio internacional. La presente revisión hace un análisis pormenorizado y actualizado del transporte de larga distancia con una visión de conjunto. Si se toma en cuenta que la tendencia actual es aumentar el tiempo del transporte, escalas logísticas y transportes mixtos, es necesario desarrollar sistemas de evaluación y toma de decisiones con herramientas y protocolos que minimicen el coste biológico en el ganado bovino.
... A survey found that nearly half of the drivers opposed a view towards developing a possible technological countermeasure to cope with driver fatigue. Surprisingly, most of the opposing drivers were night shift drivers that might have a higher probability of fatigue driving (Häkkänen and Summala, 2001). The uncertainty of the public acceptance of these devices are also argued by several researchers (Summala and Mikkola, 1994;Brown, 1997;Summala et al., 1999) that believed technological devices may not prevent those drivers who are highly motivated to complete a journey, from continuing to drive after a device alarms. ...
https://fdotwww.blob.core.windows.net/sitefinity/docs/default-source/research/reports/fdot-bdv29-977-31-rpt.pdf
... Studying 31,522 American drivers (Maiaa et al. 2013) found that drowsy driving was experienced more often when sleep duration was≤5 h, 6 h, or ≥10 h. In Finland, (Hakkanen and Summala, 2001) found that 21.0% of the studied short-haul truck drivers fallen asleep at the wheel in 20% of their drives; reduced number of sleep hours was also a predictive factor. In a Japanese study People who sleep less than 6 hours have an increased risk of road traffic accidents (Komada et al. 2013). ...
... Многие авторы отмечают, что опасности, связанные с сонливостью, присущи не только работникам автотранспорта, но и летчикам, машинистам поездов и др. [25,26]. ...
... Truck drivers who experience cognitive fatigue may fail to observe a situation appropriately or be unable to drive to the prevailing conditions as they have decreased decision-making abilities and will apply poor judgement to a given situation (Häkkänen and Summala, 2001). ...
Submission to the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee that highlights fatigue in truck driving is more than just sleep and presents an alternative solution to monitor this major issue
... Fatigue also plays an important role in taxi driver's accident risk (Meng et al., 2015;Wang et al., 2018). Driving fatigue not only impairs driving performance (Thiffault and Bergeron, 2003;Philip et al., 2005;Gastaldi et al., 2014) and results in high accident risks (Häkkänen and Summala, 2001;Lal and Craig, 2001;Dorrian et al., 2007;Tseng, 2013;Zhang et al., 2013), but also increases the severity of accidents, causing more injuries and fatalities than other types of accidents (Tefft, 2010). ...
Taxi drivers worldwide often have very long driving hours and experience frequent fatigue. These conditions are associated with a high prevalence of fatigue and accidents. However, the key factors that distinguish high/low fatigue-related accident risk (FRAR) taxi drivers are uncertain. By examining a series of potential factors related with fatigue or accident risk as discussed in previous research, the objective was to find out the most important factors that relate to taxi driver’s FRAR, and to investigate the association of these factors and taxi driver’s FRAR. Modeling methods were applied to questionnaire data collected from Beijing taxi drivers. A 269-sample dataset was analyzed to identify key factors related to FRAR and to fit FRAR prediction models. The model’s performance on high-risk driver prediction was then tested using another independently collected 100-sample dataset. High-risk taxi drivers had significantly longer driving hours per working day, lower rest ratios, less driving experience, and were more confident about their fatigue resistance. The FRAR model with only four major measurable predictors achieved a sensitivity of 91.9% and a specificity of 94.6% on predicting labeled data. Adjusting drive-rest habits and self-evaluation pertaining to these predictors is good for high-risk drivers to mitigate their accident risk. It was concluded that taxi drivers’ drive-rest habits, experience, and intention for fatigue driving are crucial, and to a large degree determine their FRAR, and the prediction model can satisfactorily identify high-risk taxi drivers.
... Mechanical problems with vehicles predictably increase the likelihood of crashes, and are common in those crashes where drivers have been identified as the 'driver at fault' (Jones and Stein 1989;Hakkanen and Summala 2001;Blower et al. 2010;and Edwards et al. 2014: 347). The most frequent mechanical defects implicated in studies of road traffic crashes involve burst tyres and brake failure (Mir, Razzak, and Ahmad 2013). ...
This report examines 6 key contemporary modes of regulation in the Australian heavy vehicle trucking industry. This intricate mix of regulatory levers reflects both the complexity of the sector and the range of mechanisms available to regulators seeking to improve WHS outcomes. Empirical data was gathered from surveys of 559 heavy vehicle drivers and provided a rich source of information for analysing the perceptions and experiences of truck drivers in the industry.
The report concludes with several recommendations for policy change. These include the need to improve knowledge of WHS risk and injury causation through the transport supply chain, improve data collection to inform evidence-based policy, address the complexity of regulation in the industry, close regulatory gaps and improve enforcement and accountability, and address segmentation in the skills and safety experience of heavy vehicle truck drivers.
This research report was commissioned and published by TEACHO Ltd. See: http://www.teacho.com.au/images/TEACHO_Final_Report.pdf
... Drivers are faced with risky situations and potential accidents every time they are on the road. Counter measures are taken by society to prevent accidents or moderate their consequences (Hakkanen and Summala, 2001). Accidents happen when road users cannot adapt their actions to the varying demands of the traffic environment. ...
... Driving a car requires careful attention from the driver and a focus on external stimuli. In addition, the organization of the work day, including the length of the route taken, sleep deprivation, breaks, and inappropriate and uncomfortable position while driving and monotony [2][3][4]. As a result, driver fatigue is a serious safety problem. ...
The article presents the principles of fatigue assessment modeling in a driver's station using Bayesian networks. One of the causes of road collisions and accidents is fatigue. The factors determining fatigue are age of driver, psychophysical and health condition, time and length of the route being taken. At present, there is no clear criteria for assessing fatigue among professional drivers, so the objective of assessment is to attempt to design and construct a fatigue assessment model using Bayesian network technology.
... Many other statistical approaches have also been used to examine factors that affect injury severity in CMV crashes. These approaches included multiple regression (Elvik, 2002) and logistic regression (Häkkänen and Summala, 2001;Boufous and Williamson, 2009). It is clear from the literature that an understanding of the factors associated with CMV crashes, particularly fatal and injury crashes, is an important issue. ...
This study analyzes 86,622 commercial motor vehicle (CMV) crashes (large truck, bus and taxi crashes) in South Korea from 2010 to 2014. The analysis recognizes the hierarchical structure of the factors affecting CMV crashes by examining eight factors related to individual crashes and six additional upper level factors organized in two non-nested groups (company level and regional level factors). The study considers four different crash severities (fatal, major, minor, and no injury). The company level factors reflect selected characteristics of 1,875 CMV companies, and the regional level factors reflect selected characteristics of 230 municipalities. The study develops a single-level ordinary ordered logit model, two conventional multilevel ordered logit models, and a cross-classified multilevel ordered logit model (CCMM). As the study develops each of these four models for large trucks, buses and taxis, 12 different statistical models are analyzed. The CCMM outperforms the other models in two important ways: 1) the CCMM avoids the type I statistical errors that tend to occur when analyzing hierarchical data with single-level models; and 2) the CCMM can analyze two non-nested groups simultaneously. Statistically significant factors include taxi company’s type of vehicle ownership and municipality’s level of transportation infrastructure budget. An improved understanding of CMV related crashes should contribute to the development of safety countermeasures to reduce the number and severity of CMV related crashes.
... Studying 31,522 American drivers (Maiaa et al. 2013) found that drowsy driving was experienced more often when sleep duration was≤5 h, 6 h, or ≥10 h. In Finland, (Hakkanen and Summala, 2001) found that 21.0% of the studied short-haul truck drivers fallen asleep at the wheel in 20% of their drives; reduced number of sleep hours was also a predictive factor. In a Japanese study People who sleep less than 6 hours have an increased risk of road traffic accidents (Komada et al. 2013). ...
Background: Egypt is ranked the third country in the world with highest mortality rates due to road traffic
accidents. The commonest cause of accidents was inattention of the driver. Driver inattention can be caused by
practicing any activity other than driving or by sleepiness. Sleep at wheels can be caused by poor sleep habits,
shift work, sleep disordered breathing, other sleep disorders as chronic insomnia, illicit drug abuse and medical
disorders.
Methods: A cross sectional study including 324 male commercial drivers. The following data was collected
history of accidents, the driving behavior including mean daily driving hours mean driving years mean daily sleep
duration, shift work, seat belt, tea/coffee while driving and driving after meals. The sleepiness was assessed by
history of excessive daytime sleepiness, Epworth sleepiness scale, Functional outcome of sleep questionnaire,
chronic insomnia, nodded while driving, naps, risk for obstructive sleep apnea and history of comorbidities.
Assessment of urine tetra hydrocanabinol (the major active ingredient in marijuana and hashish) was done.
Driver’s characteristic included education level, vehicle type license class road and nature of work.
Results: Prevalence of ever exposure to accidents is 25%. Independent predictors of accidents were urine
THC (OR=5.3), nodding during driving (OR=4.6), Berlin questionnaire (OR=2.5), STOP Bang questionnaire
(OR=1.5), FOSQ (OR= 0.9), mean daily total sleep hours (continuous) (OR=0.9).
Conclusion: Accidents were common among studied group of drivers. It is recommended to screen drivers
for urine THC, identify nodding during driving, Berlin questionnaire, STOP Bang questionnaire, FOSQ and mean
daily total sleep hours to predict the driver with high risk of the sleep related accidents.
Kazalarda yaşamlarını kaybedenlerin yarıdan fazlası yolcu otobüsü veya nakliye araçlarının sürücüleri ya da yolcularıdır. Profesyonel sürücülerin yaşamlarını yitirdikleri kazaların oranı diğer Güney Avrupa ülkelerinde çok daha düşüktür. Trafik kaza analizleri, insan faktörünün, kazaların %90’ında ana ya da yardımcı faktör olduğunu göstermiştir. Hayati yetilerin bazıları yaşın artmasıyla birlikte gerilemekte ve ilk belirtiler genellikle 55 yaşı başlarında ortaya çıkmaktadır. Farklı nörolojik durumlar ve görsel işlev bozuklukları araç kullanma becerisinde hatırı sayılır düşüşlere, kaza riskinde ise artışlara yol açabilmektedir. Çünkü, nöropsikolojik ve görsel işlevlerdeki gerileme yavaş yavaş ve belli durumlarda olmakta, sürücünün kendisi bile durumunun farkında olmamakta ve araç kullanma becerilerindeki bozulmalar genelde çok geç fark edilmektedir. Literatüre göre, yaşlı sürücüler, diğer sürücü gruplarından daha sık ölümlü kazalar ve özellikle kavşak kazaları yapmaktadır. Sıradan (amatör) sürücülerin aksine, profesyonel yaşlı sürücüler, birkaç görevin eş zamanlı yapılmasının gerektiği zorlu ve karmaşık durumlardan kaçınamazlar. Dolayısıyla, profesyonel yaşlı sürücülerin bilişsel ve görsel yetilerinin uygun beceri testleriyle düzenli olarak değerlendirilmesi hayatidir. Bu çalışmada, 120 (50yaş üzeri) Türk ve yaklaşık 100 Fin profesyonel yaşlı sürücünün araç kullanımına uygunluğu klinikte değerlendirilmiştir. Değerlendirme, görüş testlerini, nöropsikolojik testleri, sağlık taramasını, psikolojik envanterleri ve araç kullanmayla ilgili envanter ve testleri içermektedir.
Önceki AB15’te, iki-tekerlekli motorlu araç (İMA) sürücüleri trafik kazaları neticesindeki toplam ölümlerin yaklaşık %14’ünü oluşturmaktadır (Aynı gösterge Türkiye için yaklaşık % 10’dur). Kask kullanımında Güney ve Kuzey Avrupa arasındaki büyük farka rağmen, farklı kask kullanım oranlarının ardındaki nedenler tam olarak araştırılmamıştır. Bu, İMA sürücülerini Avrupa Komisyonu için kazaların azaltılması çabalarında yüksek öncelikli hale getirmiş ve Avrupa Komisyonu yeni müdahalelere yol açacak araştırmalar için çağrı yapmıştır. COST Aksiyonu, motosiklet kasklarını test etmek ve incelemek genel sorusu için kurulmuştur. Bu COST aksiyonunun (COST 357) ana amacı ise, kazalardan kaçınmayı kolaylaştırmaya yardımcı olmak için motosiklet sürücü davranışlarının ve kasklarının nasıl geliştirilebileceği hakkında bilgi birikimini artırmaktır. Türkiye’de, servis sektöründeki iyileşmeler, ekonomik patlama ve genç nüfus yüzünden motosiklet sayısında artış beklenebilir ve dolayısıyla kazaların ve ölümlerin azaltılması çabalarında İMA sürücülerinin yüksek önceliği oldukça önemli olabilir. Araştırmalar baş bölgesindeki yaralanmalarının İMA sürücülerinin ölümcül yaralanmalarına %70 ila %80 katkı yaptığını göstermektedir. Bu, kask takmayı, ciddi kazaları azaltmada önemli katkı yapacak unsur yapmaktadır. Fakat, motosiklet kasklarına ilişkin konular Türkiye’de henüz araştırılmamıştır. Bu projede, İMA sürücü davranışları, sosyal psikolojik modeller ve kasklar Türkiye’de ve Avrupa ülkelerinde (örn., Türkiye, Almanya, Yunanistan, İrlanda, İtalya, Portekiz) incelenmiştir.
Hazardous materials transportation accidents cause many casualties and property losses annually, and an effort needs to be made to identify the influencing factors associated with these types of accidents. In this study, a multi-order logistic model was built to explore the relationships between driver, vehicle, equipment, roadway, environment, and the severity of the number of casualties in the accidents. The raw accident dataset was obtained and preprocessed, and transformed into an analytical dataset, followed by using single factor analysis to identify whether the selected possible influencing factors had significant differences in the mean level of road transport accident severity, and the independent variables entering the model were finally determined. Results show the key indicators affecting accident severity are driver factors, vehicle and equipment factors, roadway factors, and environmental factors. Driver fatigue and lack of qualification, vehicle and equipment failure, continuous and steep downhill segments, and wet and waterlogged roads increase the probability of serious accidents. In addition, opposite collisions and leaks and fires that cause explosions and rollovers will increase the severity of casualties. Several countermeasures are suggested with the goal of reducing the number and severity of hazardous materials transportation accidents.
India ranks first in the global fatalities rate related to traffic accidents. India’s trucking industry is highly unorganized compared with that in developed countries, as a result of which drivers do not get professional recognition in society. Low income, job
insecurity, high-fatigue conditions, and continuous exposure to external environmental conditions cause job dissatisfaction, and the majority of traffic accidents in India are caused by driver negligence. This study aims to systematically examine the
underlying factors that cause drivers’ unsafe behavior from the following four assessment levels: personal, professional, organizational, and external factors. A purposeful sampling-based survey method was employed to collect the data. The findings
of this study were compared with the opinions of the experts and results from previous studies in the literature. The study results found that the contribution of professional and organizational factors to unsafe behavior is greatest compared with external and personal factors. The study concludes with recommendations for reducing drivers’ risk through planned driving schedules, ensuring social security through welfare schemes, and improving driving performance through proper training programs for preventing and minimizing damage caused by accidents, and recommends policy-based measures to trucking companies and regulatory bodies for minimizing accident occurrence.
Due to the large numbers of casualties and property losses caused by truck involved fatal accidents, efforts to improve our understanding of the risk factors and their impacts on the fatal accidents are urgently needed. First, for scaling fatal accident size, two latent endogenous variables which includes truck occupant injury factors and accident size were selected from occupant and crash level respectively. Then, a general structural model was built to explore the relationships between environmental, roadway, vehicle, driver factors and fatal accident damaged size. Afterwards, by analyzing 2010 data from the Trucks Involved in Fatal Accident(TIFA), a weighted-least-squares-based structure equation model(SEM) was adopted to estimate the parameters of the general structural model. Significant difference between various risk factors determining truck occupant injury factors and accident size were identified. And the results indicate that environmental, roadway, vehicle and driver factors all have statistically significant effects on accident size and occupant injury factors. But the impacting sizes of risk factors on these two endogenous variables are different distinctly. Furthermore, measurement models including different latent risk factors and corresponding observed variables are analyzed. The results show environment factors of weather and light condition, roadway factors of intersection area, and speed limit, vehicle factors of truck weight, and body type, driver factors of age, driving experience, and history of convictions are the main indicators that significantly affect accident size. Finally, several countermeasures are suggested for truck manufactures and safety planners with the goal of reducing the number and severity of truck involved fatal accidents.
Delivery riders (usually e-bike riders employed in delivery industry), an emerging occupation as a result of the booming of online commerce in China, have gained social controversies for the prevalence of unsafe riding and high rates of crash involvement. Given their ever-increasing number and stressful working conditions, more attention should be paid to safety issues involving delivery riders. To illuminate the role of working conditions in influencing safety-related risks of delivery riders, this cross-sectional study was conducted among 824 delivery riders, who answered a self-administered questionnaire gathering information about their demographics, working conditions, riding behaviors and crash involvement. A mixed probit model of the number of crashes involving riders that allowed for hierarchical relationships between the latent variables identified (i.e. time pressure, fatigue, risky riding behaviors) was employed to determine the underlying association between factors surveyed. The results portrayed a picture of a worrisome working condition for delivery riders. Respondents reported an average of 9.1 daily working hours with insufficient rest. Frequent stairs climbing, route planning and disputes with customers also added to their physical and mental workload. The tested model indicated that a heavier workload, feelings of fatigue as well as risk-taking behaviors all exerted direct and significant impacts on the involvement in crashes, and time pressure as well as several work-related traits both affected crash involvement indirectly through influencing riders’ feeling of fatigue and riding behaviors. Findings of this study may provide an empirical basis for evidence-based road safety interventions for delivery riders in China.
Önceki AB15’te, iki-tekerlekli motorlu araç (İMA) sürücüleri trafik kazaları neticesindeki toplam ölümlerin yaklaşık %14’ünü oluşturmaktadır (Aynı gösterge Türkiye için yaklaşık % 10’dur). Kask kullanımında Güney ve Kuzey Avrupa arasındaki büyük farka rağmen, farklı kask kullanım oranlarının ardındaki nedenler tam olarak araştırılmamıştır. Bu, İMA sürücülerini Avrupa Komisyonu için kazaların azaltılması çabalarında yüksek öncelikli hale getirmiş ve Avrupa Komisyonu yeni müdahalelere yol açacak araştırmalar için çağrı yapmıştır. COST Aksiyonu, motosiklet kasklarını test etmek ve incelemek genel sorusu için kurulmuştur. Bu COST aksiyonunun (COST 357) ana amacı ise, kazalardan kaçınmayı kolaylaştırmaya yardımcı olmak için motosiklet sürücü davranışlarının ve kasklarının nasıl geliştirilebileceği hakkında bilgi birikimini artırmaktır. Türkiye’de, servis sektöründeki iyileşmeler, ekonomik patlama ve genç nüfus yüzünden motosiklet sayısında artış beklenebilir ve dolayısıyla kazaların ve ölümlerin azaltılması çabalarında İMA sürücülerinin yüksek önceliği oldukça önemli olabilir. Araştırmalar baş bölgesindeki yaralanmalarının İMA sürücülerinin ölümcül yaralanmalarına %70 ila %80 katkı yaptığını göstermektedir. Bu, kask takmayı, ciddi kazaları azaltmada önemli katkı yapacak unsur yapmaktadır. Fakat, motosiklet kasklarına ilişkin konular Türkiye’de henüz araştırılmamıştır. Bu projede, İMA sürücü davranışları, sosyal psikolojik modeller ve kasklar Türkiye’de ve Avrupa ülkelerinde (örn., Türkiye, Almanya, Yunanistan, İrlanda, İtalya, Portekiz) incelenmiştir.
It is estimated that riders of powered two-wheeled vehicles (PTW) account for about 14% of all traffic fatalities in the former EU15 (the same figure is about 10% for Turkey). Despite the vast difference between Southern and Northern/Western Europe in helmet usage, the reasons for different helmet usage rates have mainly remained unexamined. This made riders of PTW a high priority for accident-reduction efforts for the European Commission, which has called for investigations that could lead to new measures. COST Action established for the general question of studying and testing motorcycle helmets. The main objective of this COST Action (COST 357) is to increase knowledge on how motorcycle rider behaviours and helmets could be improved to help facilitate the avoidance of accidents. In Turkey, it can be expected that the number of motorcycles increase because of improvements in service industry, boom in economy and young population and, therefore, a high priority for accident and fatality-reduction efforts in riders of PTW would be highly important. Research has shown that head injuries contribute to 70% and 80% of fatal injuries to PTW riders, which makes wearing a helmet an important contribution to the reduction of accident severity. However, issues regarding to motorcycle helmets have not been studied in Turkey. In the present project, PTW rider behaviours, social psychological models, and helmets were investigated in Turkey and across European countries (i.e., Turkey, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal).
Kazalarda yasamlarını kaybedenlerin yarıdan fazlası yolcu otobüsü veya nakliye araçlarının sürücüleri ya da yolcularıdır. Profesyonel sürücülerin yasamlarını yitirdikleri kazaların oranı diğer Güney Avrupa ülkelerinde çok daha düsüktür. Trafik kaza analizleri, insan faktörünün, kazaların %90’ında ana ya da yardımcı faktör olduğunu göstermistir. Hayati yetilerin bazıları yasın artmasıyla birlikte gerilemekte ve ilk belirtiler genellikle 55 yası baslarında ortaya çıkmaktadır. Farklı nörolojik durumlar ve görsel islev bozuklukları araç kullanma becerisinde hatırı sayılır düsüslere, kaza riskinde ise artıslara yol açabilmektedir. Çünkü, nöropsikolojik ve görsel islevlerdeki gerileme yavas yavas ve belli durumlarda olmakta, sürücünün kendisi bile durumunun farkında olmamakta ve araç kullanma becerilerindeki bozulmalar genelde çok geç fark edilmektedir. Literatüre göre, yaslı sürücüler, diğer sürücü gruplarından daha sık ölümlü kazalar ve özellikle kavsak kazaları yapmaktadır. Sıradan (amatör) sürücülerin aksine, profesyonel yaslı sürücüler, birkaç görevin es zamanlı yapılmasının gerektiği zorlu ve karmasık durumlardan kaçınamazlar. Dolayısıyla, profesyonel yaslı sürücülerin bilissel ve görsel yetilerinin uygun beceri testleriyle düzenli olarak değerlendirilmesi hayatidir. Bu çalısmada, 120 (50yas üzeri) Türk ve yaklasık 100 Fin profesyonel yaslı sürücünün araç kullanımına uygunluğu klinikte değerlendirilmistir. Değerlendirme, görüs testlerini, nöropsikolojik testleri, sağlık taramasını, psikolojik envanterleri ve araç kullanmayla ilgili envanter ve testleri içermektedir.
More than half of the persons killed in traffic accidents are drivers or passengers of coaches or goods road vehicles. In other Southern European countries, the proportion of people killed in accidents involving a professional driver is much lower. Analyses of road accidents indicate that human factors are a sole or contributory factor in approx. 90% of accidents. Several crucial abilities decline with increasing age, first symptoms occurring usually as early as in the age of fifty-five. Different neurological conditions or impairment of visual functions can lead to a remarkable decline in driving ability and increased accident risk. Since the deterioration in neuropsychological and visual functions occur gradually and only in certain conditions, even the driver himself is not aware of his condition and the impairment in driving ability is often observed too late. According to literature, elderly drivers are more frequently involved in fatal accidents and especially in intersection accidents than other driver groups. Unlike ordinary drivers, elderly professional drivers cannot avoid complex situations requiring simultaneous processing of several tasks. Therefore, it is crucial to assess elderly professional drivers’ cognitive and visual abilities regularly with adequate ability tests. In this study, fitness-to-drive of 120 older (50+) Turkish and about 100 Finnish professional drivers was assessed in a clinic. Assessment includes vision tests, neuropsychological tests, health survey, psychological inventories and driving related inventories and tests.
This research article attempts to analytically determine the factors, significant for safety, in connection with driving of automotives as well as to develop a conceptual model of the driving assistance system, using the knowledge about such factors. Millions of casualties due to road accidents, happen worldwide every year and the annual average of lives lost in India alone is about hundred and fifty thousand. The causes of such accidents are attributed to road characteristic and condition, driving faults, driving conditions or traffic environmental factors and defects or functional failure in vehicle mechanism. Studies have focused primarily on these factors without associating the ‘weather' which has been reported as in a work but as an isolated factor without including the above three. This work includes all the four stated factors in modelling the driver assistance system for automatic speed control with warning system module. Further, to predict accident rates in a particular region a model using adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) is proposed in this work, which may be used by the vehicle manufactures to select the right product variant to minimise accidents.
This research attempts to identify the significant factors, analytically, in connection with safety in automotive driving and to develop a conceptual model of the electronic controller for the vehicle using such knowledge. Every year millions of people, around the world, meet casualties due to road accidents and the average lives lost per year in India alone is to the tune of hundred and fifty thousand strong. Such accidents are attributed to driver’s fault, road con-dition, traffic environmental factors and faults in vehicle mechanism. Research-ers have focused primarily on these factors since the other factor ‘weather’ is beyond human control. The above three factors or causes have been studied, in Indian context, in this work and a concept model of driver assistance system, involving speed control module, is proposed.
This observational on-road setting showed that a single traffic maneuver, passing another vehicle uphill on a two-lane road, predicted self-reported accidents during a 3-year follow-up period, however no longer over the next 4-year follow-up. (Updated 27 Feb 2014)
Questionnaire data concerning the frequency of prolonged driving, sleepiness-related problems while driving and personal health status were analyzed from 567 professional drivers with 5 work descriptions. Of the drivers 31% had been regularly driving more than 10 hr, 19% reported having dozed off at least twice while driving, and 8% reported a near-miss situation due to dozing off during the past 3 months. Sleepiness-related problems while driving appeared across all driver groups, including drivers transporting dangerous goods and bus drivers, and were strongly related to prolonged driving, sleep deficit, and drivers’ health status. The effects of the latter factors were interactive and cumulative: Frequent sleepiness-related problems occurred in more than one half of the drivers with the combination of prolonged driving, sleep deficit, and lowered self-perceived health. The results give unreserved support for regulating driving hours and increase concern of the connection between professional drivers health status and sleepiness-related problems while driving.
To assess the incidence, time of day, and driver morbidity associated with vehicle accidents where the most likely cause was the driver falling asleep at the wheel.
Two surveys were undertaken, in southwest England and the midlands, by using police databases or on the spot interviews.
Drivers involved in 679 sleep related vehicle accidents.
Of all vehicle accidents to which the police were summoned, sleep related vehicle accidents comprised 16% on major roads in southwest England, and over 20% on midland motorways. During the 24 hour period there were three major peaks: at around 0200, 0600, and 1600. About half these drivers were men under 30 years; few such accidents involved women.
Sleep related vehicle accidents are largely dependent on the time of day and account for a considerable proportion of vehicle accidents, especially those on motorways and other monotonous roads. As there are no norms for the United Kingdom on road use by age and sex for time of day with which to compare these data, we cannot determine what the hourly exposure v risk factors are for these subgroups. The findings are in close agreement with those from other countries.
While it has been known for some time that crashes can result from the driver falling asleep at the wheel, this issue has received less attention in traffic safety programs than the role of alcohol or speed of the vehicle. The present study was done to investigate the characteristics of crashes attributed to the driver being asleep. The study utilized the database at the Highway Safety Research Center at the University of North Carolina that is based on the uniform crash reporting system in that state. Over the years 1990-1992, inclusive, there were 4333 crashes in which the driver was judged to be asleep but not intoxicated. The crashes were primarily of the drive-off-the-road type (78% of the total) and took place at higher speeds (62% in excess of 50 mph). The fatality rate was of similar magnitude to that in alcohol-related crashes with fatalities in 1.4% of such crashes (alcohol crashes had fatalities in 2.1%). The crashes occurred primarily at two times of day--during the nighttime period of increased sleepiness (midnight to 7.00 a.m.) and during the mid-afternoon "siesta" time of increased sleepiness (3.00 p.m.). These crashes occurred predominately in young people. Fifty-five percent of these were in individuals 25 years of age or younger, with a peak age of occurrence at age 20 years. Sleepiness may play a role in crashes other than those attributed by the police to the driver being asleep. Determining the magnitude of this role is a challenge to the traffic safety community.
The results of several studies are reported in which the influence of working hours on the risk of accident was investigated. Data were collected by means of a survey on the work-rest schedule of 139 truck drivers (totalling 1459 days of work). From this, it was possible to derive two 'relative exposure indices' concerned with the amplitude of the work day, and one in relation to the time of day when the work is performed. Other data were extracted from accident reports. This gave information on the time of day the accident occurred and the number of hours of work preceeding the accident. From the comparison between the exposure indices and implication rate, a risk rate index was established. After statistical tests it could be concluded that: the probability for a driver of being involved in an accident is 2.5 times greater after 14 hours of work than it is for a duration of less than 10 hours; and that the accident probability doubles during the night time (between 20.00 hr and 06.00 hr) as compared to the day time.
Fundamental to the present research is the use of hourly traffic volumes in regression models for estimating accident potential on two-lane rural roads. By using data from Ontario, Canada, a simple model form, and a regression package that allows the assumption of a negative binomial error structure, regression models were calibrated for the different combinations of time periods (24 hr, day hours, and night hours) and geometric (roadway and shoulder width) characteristics. It is shown that the effect of day/night conditions is different for single-vehicle and multivehicle accidents. For single-vehicle accidents the accident potential is higher during the night, whereas for multivehicle accidents the opposite is true. This indicates the importance of differentiating between single-vehicle and multivehicle accidents and day/night conditions. The refinement of the regression predictions by the empirical Bayesian (EB) estimation procedure for individual road sections is illustrated. It is shown through a validation exercise that the EB procedure provides better estimates of accident potential than the conventional method only on the basis of the short-term accident count for a section.
In this paper the concept of exposure to road accidents is developed, from its general to its particular use, with references to the work of many road safety investigators; the paper can be regarded as a fairly complete review of exposure literature. The subject is presented in the following order: Concept of Exposure; Exposure for Large Areas, Groups, or Times; Induced Exposure Measures; Exposure as Opportunities; Specific Exposure at Locations, to Persons, or in Time.
Driving records were examined for 1447 drivers involved in fatal crashes during a two-year period. The fatal crash involvement rate per 100,000 drivers was found to be higher in approximate proportion to the number of convictions for violations in three years prior to the fatal crash. However, the majority of drivers involved in fatal crashes had no convictions for violations in the prior three years. Drivers with extremely deviant driving records, including so-called “habitual offenders,” were only a small proportion of drivers involved in fatal crashes and did not have involvement rates as high as other groups such as drivers under 20 years of age with only a few convictions. It was shown that conviction records and descriptives—age, sex, race—in motor vehicle administration files can be used to identify groups with greater probability of involvement in fatal crashes. It is not possible, however, to identify a small group in the population that accounts for more than a small proportion of all fatal crashes.
Objective. - To assess the contribution of driver sleepiness to highway crashes and review recent recommendations to change federal hours-of-service regulations for commercial motor vehicle drivers. Data Sources. - Information was derived from a search on the MEDLINE, Transportation Research Information Service (TRIS), and Bibliographic Electronic Databases of Sleep (BEDS) databases from 1975 through 1997 and from manual review of the reference lists in relevant journal articles, government publications, conference proceedings, and textbooks. Data Synthesis. - Driver sleepiness is a causative factor in 1% to 3% of all US motor vehicle crashes. Surveys of the prevalence of sleepy behavior in drivers suggest that sleepiness may be a more common cause of highway crashes than is reflected in these estimates. About 96% of sleep-related crashes involve passenger vehicle drivers and 3% involve drivers of large trucks. Risk factors include youth, shift work, alcohol and other drug use, over-the-counter and prescription medications, and sleep disorders. Conclusions. - Increased awareness of the relationship between sleepiness and motor vehicle crashes will promote the health and safety of drivers and highway users. Physicians can contribute by encouraging good sleep habits, recognizing and treating sleep-related problems, and counseling patients about the risks of driving while sleepy. To protect public health and safety, the American Medical Association recommends continued research on devices and technologies to detect signs of sleepiness and prevent the deterioration of driver alertness and performance. Educational programs about the risks of falling asleep while driving are needed for physicians, the public, and commercial truck drivers.
Collected data on the work–rest schedule of 139 truck drivers. Two relative exposure indexes were derived: the amplitude of the workday and the time of day when the work was performed. Other data included the time of day an accident occurred and the number of hours of work preceding the accident. It was found that (1) the probability of a driver being involved in an accident was 2.5 times greater after 14 hrs of work than after less than 10 hrs; and (2) the accident probability doubled at night. (English abstract) (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Induced exposure 'in the narrow sense' refers to exposure to vehicular collision only, and is modelled by a scheme which equates the proportion of single vehicle collisions experienced by a category of driver/vehicles to the proportion of double vehicle collisions in which that driver/vehicle combination was guilty, and which equates the exposure for the category to the proportion not guilty in double vehicle collisions. Induced exposure 'in the wide sense' refers to all types of hazard, and separates the data into four categories by a hypothesis that factors relating to an accident are either internal or external for each of the two driver/vehicle combinations involved, where for single car collisions, one of the 'driver/vehicle' categories is the type of accident, with the restriction that internal factors do not exist in the case where driver/vehicle represents type of single vehicle accident.
In late June 1988, The Swedish Road Administration sent each of Sweden's 30,000 truck drivers a music tape ''Easy trucker'' with information concerning driving in work zones; it mainly emphasized the fact that road workers are stressed and afraid of large vehicles that pass them too fast and too close in maintenance and construction zones. In this study, truck driver behavior was measured, once before and three times after the release of the tape, in a selected work zone which was kept approximately the same for four months. No change in truck speeds in the work zone was found to result from the campaign either during or after work hours. However, the campaign consistently increased truck drivers' lateral safety margins with respect to a worker standing at the edgeline about 100 m from the beginning of the work area, in comparison to car drivers. In the presence of oncoming vehicles neither lateral shift nor compensatory speed decrement occurred. This study demonstrates that it is not easy to show measurable effects of a campaign in driver behavior; that for any effects to occur, the association between safety message and the proper situation should be clear enough and that drivers prefer safety responses with no costs, such as lateral shift, rather than those with even a small subjective cost such as speed decrement.
The concepts of risk compensation and risk homeostasis are often used to describe or to explain drivers' tendencies to react to traffic system changes whether in roads, vehicles, weather conditions or in their own skills. However, it is important to distinguish between the general phenomenon and mechanisms underlying it. This paper first points out that to understand the basic mechanisms it is necessary to split accidents and exposure into smaller entities to arrive at basic units of exposure which also represent fundamental driver tasks. Risk-related behaviour should be considered at several hierarchical levels with different mechanisms to produce ‘risk compensation’. At a high level, trip decisions modify populations at risk in different circumstances, sometimes attenuating, sometimes amplifying population risk differences. At a low level of vehicle control and guidance in real dynamic traffic situations, simpler control mechanisms which result in behavioural adaptation can be identified. All these effects influence the end result of accident risk as separate mechanisms.
Past research has found a non-linear relationship between traffic intensity or level of service (LOS) and highway crash rates. This paper investigates this relationship further by including the effects of site characteristics and estimating Poisson regression models for predicting single and multi-vehicle crashes separately. Analysis focuses on rural two-lane highways, with hourly LOS, traffic composition, and highway geometric characteristics as independent variables. The resulting models for single and multi-vehicle crashes have different explanatory variables. Single-vehicle crash rates decrease with increasing traffic intensity (lower LOS), shoulder width and sight distance. Multi-vehicle crash rates increase with the number of signals, the daily single-unit truck percentage, and the shoulder width, and decreased on principal arterials compared to other roadway classes. LOS does not significantly explain variation in the number of multi-vehicle crashes. Ongoing research by the authors is aimed at identifying other site factors, such as driveway density and intersection LOS, that can better explain the differing effects reported here and predict crash rates of both types better.
Sumario: Using representative samples of drivers operating in freight transportation, the sociological features of lorry drivers, the process of formation of this group, and their work conditions are described. This demonstrated that the risk of involvement in an accident increases with the number of hours carried out, and according to the time at which the drivers are at the wheel (at the end of a normal working day and at night)
The zero-risk theory, originally presented by Näätänen and Summala (1974, 1976 a), posits that due to human perceptual, cognitive, and motivational processes, drivers adapt to risks on the road, whilst being motivated towards faster speeds and objectively more risky behaviour. In decision-theoretic terms, both the subjective probability distribution of the outcomes of drivers' behaviour and their speed-utility function are severely distorted. Drivers are not, however, adjusting risk. With experience, driving simply becomes a habitual, largely automatized activity in which risk control is based on maintaining safety margins. Because of this adaptation to risk and the motives involved, drivers are not able to take traffic risks into account to a degree that would be rational from their own point of view and that of society. The main implication of the theory is that we have to prevent this tendency for drivers to be motivated towards higher speeds and thus to adapt to greater risk in the traffic system. The primary means of doing so are restrictive. Speed limits are therefore a necessary condition of effective traffic-safety work.
Thesis (M.A. Sc.)--University of Toronto, 1994. Includes bibliographical references.
Fatigue and long driving hours have been implicated as risk factors in truck crashes. Under federal regulations, commercial drivers are permitted to drive no more than 10 hours before having an 8-hour break and cannot work more than 70 hours over an 8-day period. Several studies have suggested that violations of these rules are common. A survey of long haul tractor-trailer drivers was conducted to estimate what proportion of drivers report that they regularly violate the hours-of-service rules and to identify the drivers most likely to commit hours-of-service violations. During December 1990 through April 1991, a total of 1,249 drivers were interviewed at truck safety inspection stations, truck stops, and agricultural inspection stations in Connecticut, Florida, Oklahoma, and Oregon. In each state, interviews were conducted during varying periods of the day over the course of seven days at inspection stations. Overall, 89 percent of eligible drivers asked for interviews participated in the survey. According to self-reports, almost three-fourths of the respondents violate hours-of-service rules. About two-thirds of the drivers reported that they routinely drive or work more than the weekly maximum. A primary impetus for violating rules appears to be economic factors, including tight delivery schedules and low payment rates. Many other driver, job, and vehicle characteristics were significantly associated with being an hours-of-service violator. The high prevalence of hours-of-service violations among tractor-trailer drivers is a problem in need of urgent attention. Potential measures to reduce the prevalence of rules violations include more enforcement directed toward carriers, wider use of electronic recorders, and increasing the number of rest areas.
A method has been developed to estimate the relative accident risk posed by different patterns of driving over a multiday period. The procedure explicitly considers whether a driver is on duty or off duty for each half hour of each day during the period of analysis. From a data set of over 1,000 drivers, nine distinct driving patterns are identified. Membership in the patterns is determined exclusively by the pattern of duty hours for seven consecutive days; for some drivers an accident occurred on the eighth day while others had no accident, therefore each pattern can be associated with a relative accident risk. Additional statistical modeling allowed the consideration, in addition to driving pattern, of driver age, experience with the firm, hours off duty prior to the last trip and hours driving on the last trip (either until the accident or successful completion of the trip). The finding of the modeling is that driving patterns over the previous seven days significantly affect accident risk on the eighth day. In general, driving during the early and late morning (e.g., midnight to 10 A.M.) has the highest accident risk while all seven other multiday patterns had indistinguishable risk. Consecutive hours driven also has a significant effect on accident risk: the first hour through the fourth hour having the lowest risk with a fluctuating increase in risk to a maximum beyond nine hours. Driver age and hours off duty immediately prior to a trip do not appear to affect accident risk significantly. These findings quantitatively assess the relative accident risk of multiday driving patterns using data from actual truck operations. Further research is recommended in the areas of refining model structures, adding explanatory variables (such as highway type), and testing more complex models.
Survey data on large trucks involved in fatal accidents and on the travel of large trucks provide estimates of fatal accident involvement rates by driver age. The analysis is focused on the implications of lowering the minimum age for drivers of commercial trucks operating interstate from 21 to 19 years. Fatal accident involvement rates for drivers of large trucks are found to increase with decreasing driver age. The younger drivers are over-involved until about age 27. Drivers under the age of 21 are over-involved by a factor of 6 in comparison to the overall rate for all drivers. Other factors known to have significant influences on the probability of involvement in a fatal accident were examined to determine their association with the over-involvement of younger drivers. The general pattern of over-involvement for younger drivers pervades virtually every combination of factors examined. Thus, it is concluded that the basic trend with driver age shown in the aggregate data is primarily associated with age and is not associated with the other factors examined. The results of this analysis substantiate an elevated risk of fatal accident involvement for younger drivers of large trucks.
Considerable attention is still given to developing and using alternate methods for determining exposure for calculating highway accident rates. A quasi-induced method of measuring exposure developed in the late 1960s is reexamined and found to be promising for determining relative accident involvement rates. A new empirical investigation is offered as the first step in verifying that the characteristics of the "innocent victim" in two-vehicle highway accidents represent a random sample of the driver-vehicle combinations present on the highway system under specified conditions. Quasi-induced exposure estimates are shown to be, at a minimum, consistent and reproducible.
Federal regulation limits interstate truck drivers to 10 hours of driving after an 8-hour off-duty period. The need for enforcing these limits is supported by research showing that long driving hours is a risk factor for tractor-trailer crashes. To estimate the percentage of hours of service violators among long-haul tractor-trailer drivers, truck drivers were interviewed at an inspection site in Spokane, Washington and later observed arriving at inspection sites in either Moorhead or Worthington, Minnesota (approximately 1,200 miles). The sample used for the calculation of violators consisted of truckers driving alone who reportedly did not plan to make an interim pickup or delivery stop prior to arrival in Minnesota. The percentages of drivers violating the hours of service rules by more than one hour at average trip speeds ranging from 35 mph to 65 mph are presented. Assuming that the drivers averaged 40 mph over the complete course of the trip segment, including stopped time, 90% were in violation by more than one hour. Assuming that they averaged 50 mph, 51% were in violation by more than one hour. These speed assumptions are based on findings in the current study that team drivers averaged 38 mph, fleet managers' reports of scheduling single drivers at trip speeds of 45 mph to 47 mph, and reports in the literature that loaded tractor-trailers average 41 mph over flat terrain. Although the true percentage cannot be determined without knowing actual trip speeds, the estimated range of violators at probable speeds of 40 mph and 50 mph points to a substantial problem.
Recent studies do not agree on the possible relationship between medical conditions and traffic safety; most of them do not control for exposure factors. This problem has become more pertinent for scientific studies because of litigation that showed that present regulations about access to driver permits might contravene human rights legislation. In our study, we estimate the effect of different medical conditions on truck drivers' distributions of accidents. Our data and our models permit simultaneous control for age; medical conditions; exposure factors measured by hours, kilometer, and qualitative factors; and other characteristics of truck drivers. Our results show that diabetic truck drivers of the permit class for straight trucks have more accidents than drivers in good health. No other studied medical condition has a significant effect on individual accident distributions. Many risk exposure variables are also significant. The effect of age is discussed in detail.
The connection between risky driving and involvement in fatal accidents was investigated in two studies using two data sets. The first study compared the recorded offenses of 615 drivers involved in fatal accidents with a sample of drivers randomly selected from driver records. The second study compared the recorded offenses of 143 drivers stopped by the police for risky driving with the prior records of control drivers stopped at the same locations. The drives involved in fatal accidents and the drivers stopped for risky driving had violated traffic regulations more often than other drivers. Those responsible for causing fatal accidents as well as involved but nonculpable drivers had previously been convicted of traffic offenses more often than other drivers. Among the fatal-accident drivers, those involved in running-off-the-road accidents had accumulated the largest number of traffic offenses. There appears to be a particular link between the age and the prior offense rate of the two risk groups. For under-35-year-olds, the offense rate (offenses/million kilometers) of those stopped for risky driving and those involved in fatal accidents were about the same. For over-35-year-olds, the drivers stopped for risky driving had accumulated many times more speeding offenses than those involved in fatal accidents. Unlike the other groups the offense rate of those stopped for risky driving does not decrease with age.
Fatigue increases the risk of an accident if the driver, on recognizing symptoms of fatigue, does not stop driving. We studied whether a tendency to continue the current activity and complete the task especially affects younger drivers, who are more susceptible to motivational pressures at the wheel in general. The data consisted of Finnish in-depth studies on 586 single-vehicle and 1357 multiple-vehicle accidents in which at least one vehicle occupant died. When excluding alcohol-related cases, the results showed that, first, trailer-truck drivers who either fell asleep or were tired to a degree that contributed to the accident were younger than those involved in the other fatalities. For car drivers, the proportion of fatigue-related cases was approximately constant in each age group, but a variation was seen when studied according to the time of day of the accident, mainly resulting from two distinct peaks. The first was in young drivers 18 to 20 years old between midnight and 6:00 a.m. The other occurred in drivers 56 years and older during the late afternoon hours. These data also indicate that in terms of fatal accidents, fatigue and alcohol seem to be less of a problem for truckers than for car drivers.
The effects of involvement in a fatal accident on surviving drivers' subsequent driving behavior were studied. The quantity (mileage) and quality of driving (offences in driver records) of 245 surviving drivers were compared in three-year periods before and after the accident. A random sample of 253 drivers from the driver register were additionally used as controls. The data showed that about half of the car drivers decreased their driving, with greater reductions being associated with more serious injuries. However, the total number of convictions did not reduce but even showed a tendency to increase in proportion to the amount of driving. The proportion of car drivers with post-crash offences was approximately constant (27-32%) independent of any change in mileage. The data suggest that professional heavy-vehicle drivers incurred fewer convictions during the post-crash period in comparison to car drivers. Thirty-seven surviving drivers were further interviewed on the duration and specificity of the effects. With the exception of three drivers, all said that the fatal accident had affected their driving behavior, but only for a relatively short time. Most commonly, the drivers reported that the effect was limited to those circumstances and situations which led to the accident and did not generalize to safer driving practices. This study suggests that car drivers, if not seriously injured, typically return to their 'normal' driving within a few months, while heavy-vehicle drivers show a tendency towards more cautious behavior after a fatal crash in terms of violations, presumably due to the continuous reinforcement which the latter receive in their work community.
There are three reasons for giving serious consideration to technological countermeasures against driver fatigue: 1, fatigue is a persistent occupational hazard for professional drivers; 2, some professional drivers are under considerable pressure to reach their scheduled destination, in spite of feeling drowsy; 3, fatigue adversely affects an individual's ability to assess their own fitness to continue driving. However, there are two reasons for exercising caution in implementing technological countermeasures: 1, their reliability under real traffic conditions is largely unproven; 2, they could be used by unscrupulous drivers to support the continuation of journeys that should have been terminated because of human impairment. This paper draws on the findings of research into the origins, symptoms and development of human fatigue, and on recent research into driver-support systems, to assess the prospects for implementations of technological countermeasures against driver fatigue in the foreseeable future.
Drivers and companies operating in the heavy road transport industry were surveyed about drivers' hours of work and perceptions of the causes and magnitude of fatigue as an industry problem. These drivers were operating in a state which, at the time of the survey, did not restrict driving hours for heavy haulage drivers. On the day of the interview, estimates based on retrospective and prospective reports, suggest that in a 24 hour period about 38% of drivers exceed 14 hours of driving, and 51% exceed 14 hours of driving plus other non-driving work. About 12% of drivers reported less than 4 hours of sleep on one or more working days in the week preceding the interview. These drivers are likely to be operating their vehicles while having a significant sleep debt. About 20% of drivers reported less than 6 hours sleep before starting their current journey, but nearly 40% of dangerous events that occurred on the journey were reported by these drivers (p < 0.05). Many drivers and company representatives reported fatigue to be a problem for other drivers, but considered themselves or their companies' drivers to be relatively unaffected by fatigue. There were differences between drivers' and companies' perceptions about causes of fatigue, and strategies that should be used to manage it. The results obtained from these drivers in an unregulated state were compared with earlier findings from drivers in states where driving hours restrictions are in place.
Numerous factors may contribute to the 24-hour pattern of automobile accidents. One factor may be a time of day variation in driving ability. In the present study, 11 male subjects operated a driving simulator for 30 minutes at six times of day. Subjects were instructed to maintain a stable position in the left-hand lane and to drive at a constant speed of 80 km/hour. In addition subjects performed a secondary reaction time task. Subjective mood was measured at the beginning and end of each session. Driving performance was measured in terms of the mean and standard deviation of lateral position and speed. The mean and standard deviation of speed varied significantly across the day for both curved and straight segments. Reaction time was also affected by time of day. Performance was more impaired at 0600 and 0200 hours, with improvements in driving performance between 1000 and 2200 hours and an early afternoon dip. These results suggest that driving performance is subject to diurnal variations. Of particular importance is the result that impairments in driving performance in the early afternoon are of a similar magnitude to those occurring in the late evening and early morning.
The purpose of this report is to provide general information on the personal characteristics, health status, and health interests reported by long-haul truck drivers.
A cross-sectional survey was conducted based on a convenience sample. Statistical independence between comparison groups for driver type, age, and gender were tested with the Pearson chi-square test.
The study population consisted of truck drivers who stopped at one of 65 truck stops participating in a trucker trade show.
Subjects were 2,945 male self-identified truck drivers and 353 female self-identified truck drivers who visited health booths at the trade show. It was estimated that two thirds of visitors to the health booth participated.
A self-administered, close-ended questionnaire recorded the participant's personal characteristics, health status, and health interests. Blood pressure was measured by trained volunteers.
A large percentage of male truck drivers smoked cigarettes (54% vs. 30% of U.S. white males), did not exercise regularly (92%), were overweight (50% vs. 25% of U.S. white males), and/or were not aware they had high blood pressure (66% vs. 46% of U.S. population). Also, 23% of surveyed truck drivers tested positive on one measure of alcoholism.
Although a scientific sample frame was not used, the health status and lifestyle observed in this study suggest truck drivers would clearly benefit from a health education and promotion program. The truck stops should be evaluated as a possible setting for such a program.
Work characteristics, occupationally-induced fatigue, and health complaints were investigated on the basis of questionnaire data from 363 randomized coach drivers. The hypothesis was tested that, apart from high job demands and low job control, need for recovery is an indicator of occupationally-induced health complaints. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that need for recovery was a major predictor of psychosomatic complaints, sleep complaints, and complaints of emotional exhaustion in coach drivers. The influence of job demands and job control on health problems was moderately confirmed. The results of this study draw attention to the role of the need for recovery, as a sign of occupationally-induced fatigue and predictor of health complaints, in future research on occupational stress.
This study examined the effects of task and time-on-task on fatigue symptoms in overnight driving. Four participants drove an instrumented car 1200 km overnight and completed the same trip as passengers on another night. Subjective ratings of drowsiness, eye blink frequency and duration, microsleeps, and steering-wheel inputs were analysed as a function of time-on-task, and for separate samples when meeting oncoming heavy vehicles. Four video cameras were used to monitor the road view and the face of both the driver and passenger. In terms of eye closure duration, the reported microsleeps were shorter while driving (mean = 0.7 s, SD = 0.2 s) than as a passenger (mean = 2.6 s, SD = 2.0 s). Blink frequency increased with time-on-task as expected, indicating tiredness, and decreased when approaching an oncoming heavy vehicle, indicating attentive response to a potential critical situation. No consistent effect of time-on-task on high-frequency steering-wheel inputs when meeting oncoming heavy vehicles was found. The results raise the important question of what makes a driver wake from a microsleep earlier than a passenger and, given proper monitoring of long eyelid closures, what the proper intervention should be.
This study focused on eyeblink duration as a measure of sleepiness in on-road driving and on the driving performance of professional bus drivers with polysomnographically confirmed mild obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS). Ten bus drivers with OSAS and their matched controls participated in the study. The Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT) and a monotonous on-road driving task were completed. Eyeblink duration and frequency and speed control were measured while driving. Lane-keeping was evaluated by the supervisor in the car. Subsequent to these tasks, drivers with OSAS received continuous positive airway pressure treatment (nasal CPAP). After nine weeks of treatment, the tasks were repeated. Prior to treatment the average blink duration in the driving task was significantly longer and sleep latency in the MWT was significantly shorter for bus drivers with OSAS than for controls (mean blink duration 82.3 ms; 51.9 ms and mean sleep latency 23.2 min; 35.4 min), indicating increased daytime sleepiness. Subsequent to treatment both measures in drivers with OSAS decreased to the level of the controls. Treatment effects in MWT and blink duration in on-road driving also correlated significantly. No significant differences between the groups appeared in average blink frequency or driving performance in terms of maintenance of speed. No significant lane drifting appeared either. These results support earlier findings on blink duration as an indicator of increased sleepiness and have important implications for those involved in the transport technological industry. The findings also suggest that nasal CPAP treatment is effective in reducing excessive daytime sleepiness.
Two separate groups consisting of both long-haul (N=184) and short-haul (N=133) truck drivers were surveyed to examine the frequency of driver sleepiness-related problems at work during the previous three months and to assess the incidence of sleep apnea syndrome symptoms. We also aimed to identify factors likely to predict self-reported difficulties in staying alert in work driving, dozing off (sometimes referred to as microsleeps) at the wheel and near misses.
The responses suggest that for approximately 13% of the long-haul drivers the mean driving time per shift exceeded the EEC regulation. About 40% of the long-haul drivers and 21% of the short-haul drivers reported having problems in staying alert on at least 20% of their drives. Over 20% of the long-haul drivers also reported having dozed off at least twice while driving. Near misses due to dozing off had occurred in 17% of these drivers. Factors indicating sleep apnea syndrome occurred in only about 4% of the long-haul drivers and in only two short-haul drivers. Work and individual related factors as well as factors indicating sleep apnea syndrome contributed only slightly to predicting driver sleepiness-related problems.
This suggests that driver sleepiness-related problems tend to be shared by many of the professional drivers, rather than being a “specific” and permanent problem for a smaller portion of drivers. However, difficulties in sleep patterns, such as having difficulty falling asleep, were infrequent.
Fatigue, alcohol and drug involvement in transportation accidents
- Lauber
Lauber, J.K., Kayten, P.J., 1989. Fatigue, alcohol and drug involve-ment in transportation accidents. Alcohol Drugs and Driving 5 (3), 173 – 184.
Kevyt liikenne ja liikenneturval-lisuus (Unshielded traffic and traffic safety). Sosiaalilää-nen Aikakauslehti 10
- R Näätä
- H Summala
Näätä, R., Summala, H., 1972. Kevyt liikenne ja liikenneturval-lisuus (Unshielded traffic and traffic safety). Sosiaalilää-nen Aikakauslehti 10, 276–281.
Reducing accident risk for the heavy goods vehicle driver
- Brown
Brown, I.D., 1993. Reducing accident risk for the heavy goods vehicle driver. Journal of Traffic Medicine 21 (1), 79–83.
Road-user Behaviour and Traffic Accidents
- R Näätä
- H Summala
Näätä, R., Summala, H., 1976. Road-user Behaviour and Traffic Accidents. North-Holland, Amsterdam.
Induced exposure. Accident Analysis and Preven-tion 5
- F Haight
Haight, F., 1973. Induced exposure. Accident Analysis and Preven-tion 5, 111 – 126.
Fatigue, safety and the truck driver
- N Mcdonald