Temporal Patterns of Reported Single-Vehicle Car and Truck Accidents in Texas, U.S.A. During 1980-1983

Abstract

Reported single car and truck accidents due specifically to driver 'fatigue' for the 4-year span of 1980-1983 were analyzed for 24-hr, 7-d and 1-yr patterns. Three types of data were examined: (1) accidents in rural Texas, (2) accidents only in San Antonio, the fourth largest city in Texas and (3) accident ratio (number of accidents per time interval divided by traffic volume for the interval) in this city. A statistically significant seasonal variation of relatively low amplitude with peaks in May and July was detected only for accidents in rural areas. High-amplitude periodicities of 7 d were evident in all the data sets, with a peak on the weekend. A very prominent 24-hr pattern was detected as well, with the acrophase determined by single cosinor around 0300. A slight secondary peak in accidents, around 1500, was evident in the data from the rural areas. This secondary peak represented a 12-hr rhythm in addition to the 24-hr. Overall, features of the temporal patterns in accidents over 24 hr and over the year in urban and rural areas differed only slightly. Accident ratios yielded results similar to accident frequencies. However, with regard to the rural data, the shape of the 24-hr temporal pattern varied with driver age; older drivers exhibited a flatter curve with a more pronounced afternoon rather than early morning (around 0300) peak.

Driver impairment at night and its relation to physiological sleepiness

“…The results agree with accident data (23)(24)(25)(26) and with clinical data that indicate that the multiple sleep latency test shows close to pathological values (around 5 minutes' latency to sleep) for young adolescents (35). However, except for lateral position, performance did not differ between the groups.…”

“…This approach may be more suitable as a sleepiness reference for the continuous measurement of physiological sleepiness, including tests of parameters for automatic sleepiness detection. Accident data indicate that young people are more sensitive to driving under sleepiness (23)(24)(25)(26). This conclusion was also drawn in a simulator study (27).…”

Efficacy of Drivers’ Fatigue on Road Accident in Selected Southwestern States of Nigeria

“…The motivation to carry out a task diminishes, the communication and interaction with the surroundings deteriorates, and one gets irritated quicker and reacts more aggressively towards people and things. In other words, fatigue leads to diminished action capability and action preparedness (Langois et al, 1985;Lavie et al, 1987;Horne and Reyner, 1995;Pack et al, 1995;Hantula, 2000).…”

Sleep and Heat Related Changes in the Cognitive Performance of Underground Miners: A Possible Health and Safety Concern

“…Of particular interest has been the relationship between fatigue, sleep deprivation, and accident rates in the transportation sector [135]. With respect to drivers who work overnight, there is a pronounced increase in the rate of road accidents involving trucks on the night shift [136,137]. The American National Transportation Safety Board reports that between 30 and 40% of all American trucking accidents are as a result of driver fatigue [138].…”