The trucking industry website Layover.com has posted an article on the dangers of drowsy driving. We have covered much of the information in previous posts but this is a nice article and worth taking a look if you're concerned about drowsy driving. It discusses the importance of sleep and offers some other fatigue countermeasures.
Related posts:
* Tips to help you avoid drowsy driving
* Drowsy driving quiz -- for shiftworkers, and everyone else
* Boost your alertness with coffee or a nap? Or both?
* Drowsy drivers, sleeping drivers in the UK
Showing posts with label transportation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label transportation. Show all posts
Feb 2, 2008
Drowsy driving quiz -- for shiftworkers, and everyone else
Drowsy driving is considered by many to be a safety concern as great as drunk driving -- but there's far less awareness and community action about it. To help build awareness of this issue and understand what does and does not improve your alertness behind the wheel, we're bringing you this quiz.
1. Coffee overcomes the effects of drowsiness while driving. (T or F)
2. I can tell when I'm going to go to sleep. (T or F)
3. Rolling down my window or singing along with the radio will keep me awake. (T or F)
4. I'm a safe driver so it doesn't matter if I'm sleepy. (T or F)
5. You can stockpile sleep on the weekends. (T or F)
6. Most adults need at least seven hours of sleep each night. (T or F)
7. Being sleepy makes you misperceive things. (T or F)
8. Young people need less sleep. (T or F)
9. Wandering, disconnected thoughts are a warning sign of driver fatigue. (T or F)
10. Little green men in the middle of the road may mean the driver is too tired to drive. (T or F)
11. On a long trip, the driver should never take a break but try to arrive at the destination as quickly as possible. (T or F)
12. A microsleep lasts four or five seconds. (T or F)
Answers
1. FALSE . Stimulants are no substitute for sleep. Drinks containing caffeine, such as coffee or cola, can help you feel more alert' lout the effects last only for a short time.
2. FALSE . Sleep is not voluntary. If you're drowsy, you can fall asleep and never even know it. You cannot tell how long you've been asleep.
3. FALSE . An open window or the radio has no lasting effect on a persons ability to stay awake.
4. FALSE . The only safe driver is an alert driver. Even the safest drivers become confused and use poor judgment when they are sleepy.
5. FALSE . Sleep is not money. You can't save it up ahead of time and you can't borrow it. But, just as with money, you can go into debt.
6. TRUE . The average person needs seven or eight hours of sleep a night. If you go to bed late and wake up early to an alarm clock, you probably are building a sleep debt.
7. TRUE . One of the warning signs of a drowsy driver is misjudging surroundings.
8. FALSE . Young people need more sleep than adults. Males under 25 are at the greatest risk of falling asleep. Half of the victims of fatigue-related crashes are under 25.
9. TRUE . If you are driving and your thoughts begin to wander, it is time to pull over and take a break.
10. TRUE . Seeing things that are not there is a good indication it is time to stop driving and take a rest.
11. FALSE . Driving, especially for long distances, reveals a drivers true level of sleepiness. To be safe, drivers should take a break every three hours.
12. TRUE . During a "microsleep" of four or five seconds, a car can travel 100 yards, plenty of time to cause a serious crash.
How'd you do? Any surprises? Any other thoughts?
1. Coffee overcomes the effects of drowsiness while driving. (T or F)
2. I can tell when I'm going to go to sleep. (T or F)
3. Rolling down my window or singing along with the radio will keep me awake. (T or F)
4. I'm a safe driver so it doesn't matter if I'm sleepy. (T or F)
5. You can stockpile sleep on the weekends. (T or F)
6. Most adults need at least seven hours of sleep each night. (T or F)
7. Being sleepy makes you misperceive things. (T or F)
8. Young people need less sleep. (T or F)
9. Wandering, disconnected thoughts are a warning sign of driver fatigue. (T or F)
10. Little green men in the middle of the road may mean the driver is too tired to drive. (T or F)
11. On a long trip, the driver should never take a break but try to arrive at the destination as quickly as possible. (T or F)
12. A microsleep lasts four or five seconds. (T or F)
Answers
1. FALSE . Stimulants are no substitute for sleep. Drinks containing caffeine, such as coffee or cola, can help you feel more alert' lout the effects last only for a short time.
2. FALSE . Sleep is not voluntary. If you're drowsy, you can fall asleep and never even know it. You cannot tell how long you've been asleep.
3. FALSE . An open window or the radio has no lasting effect on a persons ability to stay awake.
4. FALSE . The only safe driver is an alert driver. Even the safest drivers become confused and use poor judgment when they are sleepy.
5. FALSE . Sleep is not money. You can't save it up ahead of time and you can't borrow it. But, just as with money, you can go into debt.
6. TRUE . The average person needs seven or eight hours of sleep a night. If you go to bed late and wake up early to an alarm clock, you probably are building a sleep debt.
7. TRUE . One of the warning signs of a drowsy driver is misjudging surroundings.
8. FALSE . Young people need more sleep than adults. Males under 25 are at the greatest risk of falling asleep. Half of the victims of fatigue-related crashes are under 25.
9. TRUE . If you are driving and your thoughts begin to wander, it is time to pull over and take a break.
10. TRUE . Seeing things that are not there is a good indication it is time to stop driving and take a rest.
11. FALSE . Driving, especially for long distances, reveals a drivers true level of sleepiness. To be safe, drivers should take a break every three hours.
12. TRUE . During a "microsleep" of four or five seconds, a car can travel 100 yards, plenty of time to cause a serious crash.
How'd you do? Any surprises? Any other thoughts?
Jan 26, 2008
Why managers in 24/7 need to pay attention to the special needs of shiftworkers
There are about 25 million shiftworkers in this country. They work in factories, hospitals, power plants, railroads, police and fire departments, mines, paper mills, and hundreds of other types of 24-hour operations.
But shiftworkers do more than work at night. They work out of sync with the human body's natural instinct for being awake during the day and sleeping at night. This creates increased health and safety risks for shiftworkers in addition to the health and safety issues faced by their day-working counterparts. To improve the health and safety of employees, employers must address a number of additional areas.
These fall into two categories: employee lifestyle training and corporate policies and practices.
Because of the disruption to their circadian rhythms, nightshift workers have a higher incidence of ulcers and other gastrointestinal disorders, more on-the-job and driving home accidents, lower productivity, and higher absenteeism and turnover--to name some of the most common "hidden" costs of operating around the clock. To reduce or eliminate these costs requires a comprehensive program that addresses the operational, physiological, and sociological factors.
Compared to well-rested people, tired people move slower and work less efficiently. They don't find better ways to accomplish their tasks. They pay less attention to what they're doing and take longer to respond to mistakes. Response to alarms is slower, tools are dropped, and productivity suffers.
This is equally true for nuclear power plant engineers, pilots, manufacturing control room operators, air traffic controllers, police officers, and firefighters--anyone who works at night. In fact, even people who work 9-to-5 can benefit from increased alertness.
We'll have more to say on shiftwork and management practices.
Ed
For further reading:
* Best practices for managing a shiftwork operation
* Shiftworker lifestyle training: fatigue countermeasures, sleep strategies, and more
* Shiftwork training to improve alertness and safety on the night shift
* Shiftwork schedules: fixed or rotating
* Shiftwork schedules in the 24/7 world
*
But shiftworkers do more than work at night. They work out of sync with the human body's natural instinct for being awake during the day and sleeping at night. This creates increased health and safety risks for shiftworkers in addition to the health and safety issues faced by their day-working counterparts. To improve the health and safety of employees, employers must address a number of additional areas.
These fall into two categories: employee lifestyle training and corporate policies and practices.
Because of the disruption to their circadian rhythms, nightshift workers have a higher incidence of ulcers and other gastrointestinal disorders, more on-the-job and driving home accidents, lower productivity, and higher absenteeism and turnover--to name some of the most common "hidden" costs of operating around the clock. To reduce or eliminate these costs requires a comprehensive program that addresses the operational, physiological, and sociological factors.
Tired people don't find better ways to accomplish their tasks. They pay less attention to what they're doing and take longer to respond to mistakes.In spite of the long years of schooling and training in many cases, shiftworkers and their managers are given no formal preparation on handling the special demands of working at night. There is no course on how to work long shifts or how to keep alert and effective. The fatigue that comes along with the job adversely affects attention, judgment, energy, morale, and motivation.
Compared to well-rested people, tired people move slower and work less efficiently. They don't find better ways to accomplish their tasks. They pay less attention to what they're doing and take longer to respond to mistakes. Response to alarms is slower, tools are dropped, and productivity suffers.
This is equally true for nuclear power plant engineers, pilots, manufacturing control room operators, air traffic controllers, police officers, and firefighters--anyone who works at night. In fact, even people who work 9-to-5 can benefit from increased alertness.
We'll have more to say on shiftwork and management practices.
Ed
For further reading:
* Best practices for managing a shiftwork operation
* Shiftworker lifestyle training: fatigue countermeasures, sleep strategies, and more
* Shiftwork training to improve alertness and safety on the night shift
* Shiftwork schedules: fixed or rotating
* Shiftwork schedules in the 24/7 world
*
Jan 4, 2008
Drowsy drivers, sleeping drivers in the UK
Ten percent of professional drivers, by their own admission, are falling asleep behind the wheel in the United Kingdom according to an article in Motoring.co.za, a South African motoring website. The actual percentage of drowsy drivers is likely to be higher than the number who were willing to admit falling asleep at the wheel.
Hours of service regulations for professional drivers continue to be a source of contentious issue, balancing economics against driver and public safety.
Are you a professional driver? What do you think?
Have you ever fallen asleep at the wheel? Are the hours of service rules too strict, just right, or are they a joke? Share your comments.
Hours of service regulations for professional drivers continue to be a source of contentious issue, balancing economics against driver and public safety.
Are you a professional driver? What do you think?
Have you ever fallen asleep at the wheel? Are the hours of service rules too strict, just right, or are they a joke? Share your comments.
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