Citation

Radun I, Ohisalo J, Radun J, Kecklund G. Ind. Health 2011; 49(3): 389-392.

Affiliation

Human Factors and Safety Behavior Group, Institute of Behavioral Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. igor.radun@helsinki.fi

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, National Institute of Industrial Health, Japan)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

21372433

Abstract

Given the well-known difficulties in defining and detecting fatigue, it is a real challenge to incorporate it into either traffic or criminal law. Finnish traffic law forbids fatigued driving "only" on a general level concerning the driver's fitness to drive. We present several comments from Finnish traffic and local police officers regarding their own experiences of driving while fatigued. The comments were extracted from a larger survey of traffic (N=129) and local (N=100) police officers, and prosecutors (N=96). Although the main topic of the survey was the application of the law that forbids fatigued driving, some police officers raised the issue of their own behavior in this respect. We argue that many shift workers, including police officers, break the law, especially when driving home after a night shift.

Language: en