Daytime sleepiness and sleep habits as risk factors of traffic accidents in a group of Turkish public transport drivers

ÖZER C., Etcibaşi Ş., ÖZTÜRK L.

International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, cilt.7, sa.1, ss.268-273, 2014 (SCI-Expanded) identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 7 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2014
  • Dergi Adı: International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.268-273
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Daytime sleepiness, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Motor vehicle accident, Obesity, Obstructive sleep apnea
  • Hatay Mustafa Kemal Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Aim: To explore the association of daytime sleepiness, sleep complaints and sleep habits with self-reported car crashes among public transport drivers. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out on male professional public drivers in two different cities using a validated, self-administered sleep questionnaire which comprised of symptoms suggesting sleep disorders, a subjective report of daytime sleepiness and driving characteristics. The subjects (mean age±SD, 40±11 years) were divided into two groups: (1) accident group and (2) no accident group. Results: Forty nine (15.3%) of the 320 public drivers reported that they had at least one sleepiness related motor vehicle accident and/or near-missed accident (Group 1). The mean age, body mass index and annual distance driven were similar in both groups. Although Group 1 reported less sleep time per night, more witnessed apneas, abnormal sleep, alcohol use and had higher mean Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores than Group 2, multivariate analysis of risk factors revealed that only daytime sleepiness increase the risk of traffic accidents [OR: 1.32 (1.19-1.47)]. Conclusion: These results suggest that self-reported sleepiness is a predictive sign of traffic accidents due to driver sleepiness.