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The influence of risky driving behavior on road traffic accidents (RTAs) is a relationship that requires draconian measures to curtail the rising surge of road traffic accidents among commercial drivers. Any attempt to ignore this will result in continuous loss of lives and properties, thus weakening the global economy, especially in developing countries. The risky driving behaviors of commercial drivers (truck and taxi drivers) in Nigeria require a panacea due to their contribution to RTAs. The study examines the moderating effect of positive driving behavior on commercial truck and taxi drivers' risky driving behavior and accident involvement relationship. A total of 1823 commercial vehicle drivers (943 taxi drivers and 880 truck drivers) completed the driver behavior questionnaire (DBQ), while the structural equation modeling (SEM) method was used for the analysis. The results indicated a significant moderating effect of positive driving behavior on the risky driving behavior and accident involvement relationship for both commercial truck and taxi drivers in Nigeria. Specifically, the truck drivers had a positive moderating effect, resulting in a decrease in RTAs with an increase in positive driving behavior. In contrast, the taxi drivers had a negative moderating effect. The results suggest that increasing positive driving behavior among truck drivers will enhance their safety, while taxi drivers will need more assessment to identify other risky behaviors that could expose them to more RTAs despite the positive driving behavior. This study will aid decision makers, transport trainers, and driver employers in knowing the importance of enforcing and promoting positive driving behaviors among drivers and include it in driving policy and driver training curricula towards RTA reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess the efficacy of overnight pulse oximetry in screening male commercial drivers (CDs) for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Methods: Consecutive male CDs undergoing their annual scheduled occupational health visit were enrolled from ten transportation facilities. All subjects underwent a home sleep apnea test (HSAT) to determine the Respiratory Event Index (REI). Oxygen desaturation indices (ODIs) below the 3% and 4% thresholds were computed using the built-in HSAT pulse oximeter. We then assessed the association between ODI values and the presence of OSA (defined as an REI ≥ 5 events/hour) as well as moderate to severe OSA (REI ≥ 15 events/hour). Results: Of 331 CDs recruited, 278 (84%) completed the study protocol and 53 subjects were excluded due to inadequate HSAT quality. The included and excluded subjects were comparable in demographics and clinical characteristics. The included CDs had a median age of 49 years (interquartile range (IQR) = 15 years) and a median body mass index of 27 kg/m2 (IQR = 5 kg/m2). One hundred ninety-nine (72%) CDs had OSA, of which 48 (17%) were with moderate OSA and 45 (16%) with severe OSA. The ODI3 and ODI4 receiving operating characteristic curve value were 0.95 for predicting OSA and 0.98–0.96 for predicting moderate to severe OSA. Conclusion: Overnight oxygen oximetry may be an effective means to screen CDs for OSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Screening commercial drivers (CDs) for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) reduces the risk of motor vehicle accidents. We evaluated the accuracy of standard OSA questionnaires in a cohort of CDs. Study design and methods: We enrolled consecutive male CDs at 10 discrete transportation companies during their yearly scheduled occupational health visit. The CDs had their anthropometric measures taken; completed the Berlin, STOP, STOP-BANG, OSAS-TTI, SACS, EUROSAS, and ARES questionnaires; and underwent a home sleep apnea test (HSAT) for the determination of their respiratory events index (REI). We assessed the questionnaires' ability to predict OSA (REI ≥ 5 events/h) and moderate-to-severe OSA (REI ≥ 15 events/h). Results: Among 315 CDs recruited, 243 (77%) completed the study protocol, while 72 subjects were excluded for inadequate HSAT quality. The demographics and clinical data were comparable in both the included and excluded subjects. The included CDs had a median age of 50 years (interquartile range (IQR) 25–70) and a mean body mass index of 27 ± 4 kg/m2. One hundred and seventy-one subjects (71%) had OSA, and 68 (28%) had moderate-to-severe OSA. A receiver operating characteristic curve of the questionnaires were 0.51–0.71 for predicting OSA and 0.51–0.66 for moderate-to-severe OSA. The STOP-BANG questionnaire had an unsatisfactory positive predictive value, while all of the other questionnaires had an inadequate negative predictive value. Conclusions: Standard OSA questionnaires are not suited for screening among CDs. The use of the HSAT could provide an objective evaluation of for OSA in this special population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a critical occupational health concern, but is often undiagnosed in the general population and commercial drivers. The STOP-Bang questionnaire is a simple, reliable tool to screen for OSA, which could improve public health in a cost-effective manner. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to assess the validity of the STOP-Bang questionnaire to detect OSA in these key populations. Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, PsycINFO, Journals @ Ovid, Web of Science, Scopus, and CINAHL for relevant articles from 2008 to March 2020. The quality of studies was appraised using Cochrane Methods criteria. To calculate pooled predictive parameters, we created 2 × 2 contingency tables and performed random-effects meta-analyses. Results: Of 3871 citations, five studies that evaluated STOP-Bang in the general population (n = 8585) and two in commercial drivers (n = 185) were included. In the general population, prevalence of all OSA (AHI ≥ 5), moderate-to-severe OSA (AHI ≥ 15), and severe OSA (AHI ≥ 30) was 57.6%, 21.3%, and 7.8% respectively. In commercial drivers, the prevalence of moderate-to-severe OSA was 37.3%. The trends of high sensitivity and negative predictive value of a STOP-Bang score ≥ 3 illustrates that the questionnaire helps detect and rule out clinically significant OSA in the general population and commercial drivers. Conclusion: This meta-analysis demonstrates that the STOP-Bang questionnaire is a valid and effective screening tool for OSA in the general population and commercial drivers. Trial registration: PROSPERO No. CRD42020200379; 08/22/2020 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Along with globalization in recent periods, psychosocial risks at the workplace have been classified as considerable developing risks for human mental and physical health. These risks exist both in developed and developing countries. The current study aims to assess the psychosocial work environment of professional drivers in a multidimensional concept. Subject and methods: The study population consisted of 645 Iranian professional drivers. Psychosocial factors were examined in five domains including job demand, job content, interpersonal relationship, work-individual interface and general and mental health through the validated Persian medium-size version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ). Results: Among 26 psychosocial scales, sensory demands (91.3) and cognitive demands (70.3) got the highest average scores in professional drivers. Logistic regression was applied to evaluate the association between psychosocial work environment indexes and self reported health and well being of drivers. This study showed that poor psychosocial work environment in job demand, job content, work-individual interface as well as having a car accident history was associated with unfavorable health outcomes for the participants, after adjustment for age, marital status, education level, vehicle type and smoking. Conclusion: It is worth focusing on drivers' working schedule and their psychosocial work environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential of the prognostic evaluation of the functional state of the body was evaluated based on a comparative analysis of biological age according to the physical working ability in commercial drivers. The dependence of dynamic changes in the parameters of physical ability and biological age from the calendar age and professional experience of drivers was studied. An early (compared to the control group) reduction in the range of adaptive reactions to submaximal workloads of the cardiovascular system was recorded in drivers. The risk group with manifestations of premature aging was observed in 40-49-year-old drivers with 15-19 years of professional experience. The suitability of our methods for evaluating the rate of aging according to physical ability and the development of preventive measures against premature and/or the accelerated aging of workers was shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Driver drowsiness is a major safety concern, especially among commercial vehicle drivers, and is responsible for thousands of accidents and numerous fatalities every year. The design of a drowsiness detection system is based on identifying suitable driver-related and/or vehicle-related variables that are correlated to the driver’s level of drowsiness. Among different candidates, vehicle control variables seem to be more promising since they are unobtrusive, easy to implement, and cost effective. This paper focuses on in-depth analysis of different driver-vehicle control variables, e.g., steering angle, lane keeping, etc. that are correlated with the level of drowsiness. The goal is to find relationships and to characterize the effect of a driver’s drowsiness on measurable vehicle or driving variables and set up a framework for developing a drowsiness detection system. Several commercial drivers were tested in a simulated environment and different variables were recorded. This study shows that drowsiness has a major impact on lane keeping and steering control behavior. The correlation of the number and type of accidents with the level of drowsiness was also examined. Significant patterns in lateral position variations and steering corrections were observed, and two phases of drowsiness-related degradation in steering control were identified. The two steering degradation phases examined are suitable features for use in drowsiness detection systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]