25 research outputs found

    Falling asleep at the wheel among Italian professional drivers (PDs): Results from the HiRis PD study

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    Objectives: A high percentage of professional drivers (PDs) often report feeling fatigue during their work, and falling asleep at the wheel (FAW) is a major contributing factor to the occurrence of near-miss or actual accidents. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of FAW among Italian PDs and the effect of fatigue on this occurrence (corrected for the main predictive factors already known). Material and Methods: We performed a cross-sectional questionnaire survey. Data from PDs (N = 497) were used for analyses. Logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association of reported sudden-onset sleep at the wheel with working conditions and general lifestyle factors. Results: Forty-one percent of the interviewees experienced at least 1 episode per month of sudden-onset sleep at the wheel (4.7% per week). Predictive factors of self-reported FAW were: age > 55 years old (odds ratio (OR) = 4.91, confidence interval (CI): 1.79–13.50, p 22 (OR = 3.93, 95% CI: 1.90–8.14, p < 0.01). Conclusions: There are different work and human factors underlying FAW among PDs. The Chalder Fatigue Questionnaire might be useful in measuring fatigue in this group and in detecting PDs at high risk of experiencing FAW

    Falling asleep at the wheel and distracted driving. The High-Risk Professional Drivers study

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    Background: Sleepiness at the wheel and driving while engaged in other activities are well known risk factors for traffic accidents. This article estimates the prevalence of these factors among Italian Professional Drivers (PDs) and their impact on reported driving mistakes. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using anonymous questionnaires. PDs (n=497) were divided into two groups: high-risk PDs (HiRis_PDs) (those who self-reported more than one incident during the last 3 years and/or more than one mistake during the past year) and non-HiRis_PDs (subjects who did not meet the above-mentioned inclusion criteria). Logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association of self-reported sleepiness and/or risky driving behaviour with the condition of being a high-risk driver. Results: 161 (32.4%) subjects were defined as HiRis_PDs. Forty-one percent of the interviewees experienced at least one episode per month of sudden-onset sleep at the wheel. Twenty-eight point two percent reported a regular use of a hand-held cell phone. Predictive factors for being HiRis_PDs were: at least one self-reported episode per month of falling asleep at the wheel [odds ratio (OR) 5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.21-7.80, P<0.001], driving while regularly engaged in other activities (mainly hand-held cell phone use) (OR 6.11, 95% CI 2.90-12.84, P<0.001), and young age (OR 0.96, OR 1 year of age increase, 95% CI 0.94-0.98, P=0.001). Conclusions: Focusing prevention efforts on recognizing sleepiness at the wheel and on avoiding other distracting activities while driving can reduce the possibility of driving errors on the road by about 5-6 times
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