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Abstract
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BACKGROUND: Improving transportation safety is the number one strategic goal of the US DOT Specifically, "Reduce Transportation-Related Fatalities and Serious Injuries Across the Transportation System." Fatigue has been thought to be a major factor contributing to accidents. A recent publication from NHSTA estimates that from 2 percent to 20 percent of annual traffic deaths are attributable to driver drowsiness. They estimated that 7 percent of all crashes and 16.5 percent of fatal crashes involved a drowsy driver. This suggests that more than 5,000 people died in drowsy-driving-related motor vehicle crashes across the United States in the study year.
Methods: Data was collected on a sample of healthy truck drivers in a large metropolitan area in the Western United states. Utilizing a survey questionnaire containing standardized self-report instruments to assess sleep and wakefulness. Data were obtained during the COVID pandemic of 2021. The survey assessed the relationship between existing measures of loneliness, sleepiness, subjective fatigue, job burnout, and physical and psychological health, and self-reported measures of safety, traffic citations, accidents and crashes. Finally, the study explored the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and driver fatigue, burnout, and job satisfaction.
Results: The results of these findings suggest that the assessment of fatigue and alertness of operators and drivers before they begin operating vehicles could lead to a reduction in drowsy driving, fatigue and an increase in alertness and vigilance. Significant relationships between subjective fatigue, hours worked and near miss accidents and traffic violations were found.
RESULTS of regression analysis revealed the factors with the greatest contribution to the occurrence of near misses and citations. In addition, correlations between general physical and mental health were also obtained.
Conclusions: The assessment and monitoring of fatigue prior to beginning vehicle operation can lead to a reduction of accidents and injuries and an improvement in physical and psychological health.
Keywords: CoViD-19-Road-Traffic
Language: en |