The Need for Sleep: Discriminating between Fatigue-Related and Nonfatigue-Related Truck Accidents

Abstract

Truckdriver fatigue is a major factor in driving accidents. The National Transportation Safety Board found fatigue to be the most frequently cited probable cause (31%) of fatal-to-the-truckdriver accidents (1990). This study examined the factors affecting fatigue in truckdrivers. One hundred and seven single vehicle, heavy truck accidents were investigated and classified as either fatigue-related or nonfatigued-related accidents. Measures from the 96 hours previous to the accident were obtained from the drivers’ log books including the amount of time awake, driving, on-duty, and sleeping in the 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours before the accident. A multiple discriminant analysis showed that the duration of the last sleep period, the amount of time spent sleeping in the past 24 hours, and the presence of split sleep periods were the factors that best discriminated between the fatigue and nonfatigue related accidents. The implications for regulations and training are discussed.

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