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Shift Work Disorder – Could Be Cause of Military Accidents

Written by: SFD News on September 13th, 2009

Shift Work Disorder - Could Be Cause of Military Accidents | read this item

It’s been over 10 years since a comprehensive study by the United States Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration on Drowsy Driving and it effects — but could Shift Work and its side effects be the major cause?

According to the U.S. Army Safety Center, approximately 9 percent of the wheeled-vehicle crashes that resulted in injury or death during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm were attributed to driver drowsiness/fatigue.4

Much Bigger Problem Than Imagined
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that from 1989 through 1993, driver drowsiness/fatigue was a contributing factor in 100,000 crashes annually on U.S. highways.2 During the same five-year period, drowsiness/fatigue was cited as a factor in an annual average of 1,357 fatal crashes (3.6 percent of all fatal crashes). As a result, about 1,544 people were killed each year.3 These statistics for driver sleepiness and accidents are considered conservative because of differences in state reporting practices, lack of firm evidence about the cause of many crashes, and failure of drivers involved in crashes to report that sleepiness played a role.

The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Office of Motor Carriers (OMC) has made driver drowsiness/fatigue the dominant human factors research issue in its research and technology (R&T) program. OMC has more than 25 completed, ongoing, or planned R&T projects related to driver drowsiness/fatigue and hours-of-service regulations.

Driver fatigue is a safety issue of special concern to the commercial motor vehicle (CMV) transportation community. CMV drivers may drive up to 10 hours continuously before taking a break, often drive at night, and sometimes have irregular and unpredictable work schedules. Much of their mileage is accumulated during long trips on interstate and other four-lane roadways. Because of their extensive mileage exposure and other factors, commercial drivers’ risk of being involved in a fatigue-related crash is far greater than that of non-commercial drivers C even though CMV drivers represent only about 4 percent of the drivers involved in known fatigue-related crashes and rate of involvement per mile traveled is no greater than that of non-commercial drivers.

With the downturn in the economy and more Americans taking 2nd and 3rd jobs – many are wondering … is the up tick in Drowsy Driving from general fatigue?

Only time will tell but we do know this …

Until people can stay away while driving, more and more accidents will continue to occur.