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Relationship between sleep problems and dangerous driving behaviors in Japanese short-haul commercial truck drivers: a cross-sectional survey using digital tachograph data

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Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between sleep problems and objective driving behaviors of short-haul commercial truck drivers in Japan. One hundred and ten male short-haul commercial truck drivers’ sleep duration, sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and frequency of sleepiness at the wheel were measured by survey in June 2019. In addition, their dangerous driving behaviors (i.e., overspeeding, sudden start and acceleration, sudden deceleration, and sudden braking) during June were calculated using digital tachograph data. Logistic regression analysis (LRA) was performed. The dependent variables were the presence/absence of dangerous driving behaviors, and sleep duration, sleep quality, and sleepiness were assigned as independent variables. Body mass index was adjusted as a confounding variable. LRA for sleep duration revealed that the “<5 h group” was associated with tendency of a higher adjusted odds ratio (2.87, 95% confidence interval = 0.87–9.45, p = 0.08) for sudden braking compared with the “6 h group.” LRA for sleep quality revealed that the “poor quality group” was associated with a higher adjusted OR (2.56, 95% CI = 1.09–6.01) for sudden braking compared with the “normal quality group.” LRA for the frequency of sleepiness revealed that the “frequently group” was associated with a higher adjusted OR (5.15, 95% CI = 1.10–24.13) for sudden braking compared with the “never group.” Nevertheless, sleep problems were nonsignificantly associated with other dangerous driving behaviors. Truck drivers with poor sleep quality and/or frequent sleepiness at the wheel displayed a 2.5–5.1 times greater risk of sudden braking than did drivers without these sleep problems.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the JNIOSH project research (N-P30-01).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Japan Organization of Occupational Health and Safety, 6-21-1, Nagao, Tama-ku, Kawasaki, Japan

    Hiroki Ikeda, Shun Matsumoto, Tomohide Kubo, Shuhei Izawa & Masaya Takahashi

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  1. Hiroki Ikeda
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  2. Shun Matsumoto
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  3. Tomohide Kubo
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  4. Shuhei Izawa
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  5. Masaya Takahashi
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Correspondence to Hiroki Ikeda.

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The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Japan (H3024).

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Ikeda, H., Matsumoto, S., Kubo, T. et al. Relationship between sleep problems and dangerous driving behaviors in Japanese short-haul commercial truck drivers: a cross-sectional survey using digital tachograph data. Sleep Biol. Rhythms 19, 297–303 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41105-021-00318-9

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