Driver fatigue ?

The transportation of raw materials and finished products varies from region to region. Sometimes during transportation the vehicles hauling these raw materials, finished goods, waste products, etc. have accidents. Here is a recent story emphasizing the continued need to safety while transporting:

A tractor-trailer went off the road just after midnight one day during the week of May 10, 2015 in the United States and slammed into a tree in front of a residential home.

Local County Fire Chief inspects the damage after a tractor-trailer slammed into a tree in front of a home. It took firefighters nearly two hours to extract the driver, who was airlifted to an area hospital. 

A tractor-trailer carrying what appeared to be a load of aluminum ingots smacked into a tree early one morning during the week of May 10, 2015. The unidentified driver sustained what appeared to be leg and head injuries but was conscious and alert after being trapped inside the truck’s cab for nearly two hours. He was airlifted to an area hospital.

The impact knocked the engine out of the truck, spilling it and what appeared to be a load of aluminum ingots into the home’s yard. Firefighters with the local County Fire Department had to cut through the cab’s firewall with pneumatic cutting tools to reach the driver, who was eventually carried out through the passenger side of the truck. Local County EMS, the Local County Sheriff’s Office and State Police were also at the scene.

The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog prays for the injured driver to recover fully from his physical and mental injuries. The APSB acknowledges how this incident could have been significantly worse if the truck crashed into the home.

We would also like to commend the fire fighters, local ems, and local law enforcement who all responded to this accident. Their importance can never be underestimated. The importance of training local EMS was covered in an article in the Aluminium Times Magazine:

There is no indication on what was the cause of the accident. One common hazard wherever material is hauled is driver fatigue. Driver fatigue is not only associated with truck drivers.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (in the USA) conservatively estimates that 100,000 police-reported crashes are the direct result of driver fatigue each year. This results in an estimated 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries, and $12.5 billion in monetary losses. These figures may be the tip of the iceberg, since currently it is difficult to attribute crashes to sleepiness.

One of the APSB editors was touring the Southwest United States when driver fatigue became an issue. Drive from El Paso, Texas to Roswell, New Mexico is distance of only 327 kilometers, but very boring. While entering Roswell a state police officer pulled over the vehicle. The police officer approached the vehicle and eventually asked “how long have you been driving?.” After hearing “6 hours” the officer directed the driver to a business parking lot with the instructions to stay there and take a nap. The driver replied “Ok, was I swerving officer?” “I drove behind you for a number of miles and you crossed the double yellow lines several times,” the officer replied.

We tell this story to illustrate a positive story about law enforcement.

This could have been classified as a near miss incident. Overtime just as workers forget about near miss incidents so did the APSB editor. Why? Ten years later the APSB editor was touring the Southeast United States when the hazard of driver fatigue arose. Unfortunately, this time a police officer was not nearby. On Interstate 65 heading South the APSB editor fell asleep while driving 110 km/hour. By God’s grace he fell asleep on the only stretch with a guardrail. The speeding car crashed into the guardrail immediately awaking the driver. The car was damaged on the side and the driver was alive. Another near miss. The most amazing aspect of this second incident of driver fatigue was that the driver had acknowledged that he could not continue and was planning on getting off at the next highway exit in 10 kilometers. The driver fell asleep within 2 kilometers of the highway exit. So how many driving accidents are related to driver fatigue?

According to data from Australia, England, Finland, and other European nations, all of whom have more consistent crash reporting procedures than the U.S., drowsy driving represents 10 to 30 percent of all crashes.

Who is at risk?

Sleep related crashes are most common in young people, especially men, adults with children and shift workers. According to the National Sleep Foundation’s 2002 poll:

·        Adults between 18-29 are much more likely to drive while drowsy compared to other age groups (71% vs. 30-64, 52% vs. 65+, 19%).

·        Men are more likely than women to drive while drowsy (56% vs. 45%) and are almost twice as likely as women to fall asleep while driving (22% vs. 12%).

·        Adults with children in the household are more likely to drive drowsy than those without children (59% vs. 45%).

·        Sleep deprivation and fatigue make lapses of attention more likely to occur, and may play a role in behavior that can lead to crashes attributed to other causes.

According to NSF’s 2000 Sleep in America poll, when they are driving drowsy, 42 percent of those polled said they become stressed, 32 percent get impatient and 12 percent tend to drive faster.

In the same poll, about one in five drivers (22%) said they pull over to nap when driving drowsy. Older adults are more likely to pull over and nap than younger drivers, who are most likely to drive when drowsy and least likely to pull over and nap.

People tend to fall asleep more on high-speed, long, boring, rural highways. However, those who live in urban areas are more likely to doze off while driving compared to people in rural or suburban areas (24% vs. 17%).

Most crashes or near misses occur between 4:00 – 6:00 a.m.; midnight – 2:00 a.m. and 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. are also peak times for crashes to occur. Nearly one-quarter of adults (23%) say they know someone personally who has crashed due to falling asleep at the wheel.

In NSF’s 1999 Sleep in America poll, 60 percent of parents with children who drive living in the household said they have not discussed the dangers of falling asleep at the wheel. In the 2002 poll, nearly all respondents (96%) agreed that information about driving while drowsy should be included in tests for a driver’s license.

Shift workers are more likely than those who work a regular daytime schedule to drive to or from work drowsy at least a few days a month (36% vs. 25%).

Sleep deprivation increases the risk of a sleep-related crash; the less people sleep, the greater the risk.

According to a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, people who sleep six to seven hours a night are twice as likely to be involved in such a crash as those sleeping 8 hours or more, while people sleeping less than 5 hours increased their risk four to five times.

A study by researchers in Australia showed that being awake for 18 hours produced an impairment equal to a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .05, and .10 after 24 hours; .08 is considered legally drunk.

Other research indicates commercial drivers and people with undiagnosed sleep disorders such as sleep apnea and acute insomnia are also at greater risk for fall asleep crashes.

Countermeasures

Before “hitting the road”

·        Get adequate sleep—most adults need 7-9 hours to maintain proper alertness during the day

·        Schedule proper breaks—about every 100 miles or 2 hours during long trips

·        Arrange for a travel companion—someone to talk with and share the driving

·        Avoid alcohol and sedating medications—check your labels or ask your doctor

Countermeasures to Prevent a Fall-Asleep Crash While Driving

·        Stop driving

·        Take a nap

·        Drink a caffeinated beverage.

·        Be aware of rumble strips.

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