INTRODUCTION: Professional drivers are at high risk of sleepiness due to a combination of factors including shift work and obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS), and sleepiness in professional drivers is highly dangerous. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of excessive daytime sleepiness and accident rates in bus drivers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Drivers employed at bus depots within 30 miles of Edinburgh were given a sleep questionnaire. One thousand eight hundred fifty-four drivers were approached, and 677 (37%; 25 female) completed questionnaires with a 97% response rate among the 456 given directly to drivers by the researcher. RESULTS: Of the responding drivers, 133 (20% of total, 19% of researcher-delivered questionnaires) reported an Epworth sleepiness score >10. Eight percent of drivers reported falling asleep at the wheel at least once/month, and 7% having an accident, and 18% a near-miss accident due to sleepiness while working. DISCUSSION: This study shows a concerningly high rate of sleepiness and sleep-related accidents among bus drivers. Screening for OSAHS among commercial drivers needs to be seriously evaluated with some urgency.
INTRODUCTION: Professional drivers are at high risk of sleepiness due to a combination of factors including shift work and obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS), and sleepiness in professional drivers is highly dangerous. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of excessive daytime sleepiness and accident rates in bus drivers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Drivers employed at bus depots within 30 miles of Edinburgh were given a sleep questionnaire. One thousand eight hundred fifty-four drivers were approached, and 677 (37%; 25 female) completed questionnaires with a 97% response rate among the 456 given directly to drivers by the researcher. RESULTS: Of the responding drivers, 133 (20% of total, 19% of researcher-delivered questionnaires) reported an Epworth sleepiness score >10. Eight percent of drivers reported falling asleep at the wheel at least once/month, and 7% having an accident, and 18% a near-miss accident due to sleepiness while working. DISCUSSION: This study shows a concerningly high rate of sleepiness and sleep-related accidents among bus drivers. Screening for OSAHS among commercial drivers needs to be seriously evaluated with some urgency.
Authors: Allan I Pack; Greg Maislin; Bethany Staley; Frances M Pack; William C Rogers; Charles F P George; David F Dinges Journal: Am J Respir Crit Care Med Date: 2006-05-11 Impact factor: 21.405
Authors: Eduardo H R Santos; Marco Tulio de Mello; Marcia Pradella-Hallinan; Ligia Luchesi; Maria Laura Nogueira Pires; Sergio Tufik Journal: Chronobiol Int Date: 2004 Impact factor: 2.877
Authors: Carla R Jungquist; Jaime Mund; Alan T Aquilina; Karen Klingman; John Pender; Heather Ochs-Balcom; Edwin van Wijngaarden; Suzanne S Dickerson Journal: J Clin Sleep Med Date: 2016-03 Impact factor: 4.062
Authors: Kim L Ward; David R Hillman; Alan James; Alexandra P Bremner; Laila Simpson; Matthew N Cooper; Lyle J Palmer; Annette C Fedson; Sutapa Mukherjee Journal: J Clin Sleep Med Date: 2013-10-15 Impact factor: 4.062
Authors: Lisa N Sharwood; Jane Elkington; Mark Stevenson; Ronald R Grunstein; Lynn Meuleners; Rebecca Q Ivers; Narelle Haworth; Robyn Norton; Keith K Wong Journal: Sleep Date: 2012-04-01 Impact factor: 5.849
Authors: Kevin D Johnson; Sanjay R Patel; Dorothee M Baur; Edward Edens; Patrick Sherry; Atul Malhotra; Stefanos N Kales Journal: J Occup Environ Med Date: 2014-05 Impact factor: 2.162