Driver Sleepiness-Related Problems, Health Status, and Prolonged Driving Among Professional Heavy-Vehicle Drivers

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Abstract
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 he...