Understanding The Role Of Sleep Quality And Sleep Duration In Commercial Driving Safety

ASU Author/Contributor (non-ASU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Adam Hege PhD, Assistant Professor (Creator)
Institution
Appalachian State University (ASU )
Web Site: https://library.appstate.edu/

Abstract: Long-haul truck drivers in the United States suffer disproportionately high injury rates. Sleep is a critical factor in these outcomes, contributing to fatigue and degrading multiple aspects of safety-relevant performance. Both sleep duration and sleep quality are often compromised among truck drivers; however, much of the efforts to combat fatigue focus on sleep duration rather than sleep quality. Thus, the current study has two objectives: (1) to determine the degree to which sleep impacts safety-relevant performance among long-haul truck drivers; and (2) to evaluate workday and non-workday sleep quality and duration as predictors of drivers’ safety-relevant performance. A non-experimental, descriptive, cross-sectional design was employed to collect survey and biometric data from 260 long-haul truck drivers. The Trucker Sleep Disorders Survey was developed to assess sleep duration and quality, the impact of sleep on job performance and accident risk, and other relevant work organization characteristics. Descriptive statistics assessed work organization variables, sleep duration and quality, and frequency of engaging in safety-relevant performance while sleepy. Linear regression analyses were conducted to evaluate relationships between sleep duration, sleep quality, and work organization variables with safety composite variables. Drivers reported long work hours, with over 70% of drivers working more than 11 h daily. Drivers also reported a large number of miles driven per week, with an average of 2,812.61 miles per week, and frequent violations of hours-of-service rules, with 43.8% of drivers “sometimes to always” violating the “14-h rule.” Sleep duration was longer, and sleep quality was better, on non-workdays compared on workdays. Drivers frequently operated motor vehicles while sleepy, and sleepiness impacted several aspects of safety-relevant performance. Sleep quality was better associated with driving while sleepy and with job performance and concentration than sleep duration. Sleep duration was better associated with accidents and accident risk than sleep quality.

Additional Information

Publication
Lemke, M., Apostolopoulos, Y., Hege, A., Sonmez, S., & Wideman, L. (2016). Understanding the role of sleep quality and sleep duration in commercial driving safety. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 97, 79-86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2016.08.024. Publisher version of record available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457516303104
Language: English
Date: 2016
Keywords
Sleep quality, Sleep duration, Commercial drivers, Accidents

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