TRACTOR-TRAILER DRIVER FATALITY: THE ROLE OF NONCONSECUTIVE REST IN A SLEEPER BERTH

Federal regulation allows truck drivers to use sleeper berths to accumulate eight hours of off-duty rest in two separate periods. Because sleep disruption may cause fatigue and deterioration of performance, a study was conducted to evaluate the association between sleeper-berth use in two periods and tractor-trailer driver fatality. Using Bureau of Motor Carrier Safety Reports, crashes that resulted in tractor-trailer driver fatality were compared with property damage crashes. After adjusting for confounding variables by logistic regression, tractor-trailer driver fatality was found to be significantly associated with sleeper-berth use in two shifts (odds ratio = 3.05). Statistically significant but weaker associations were found between driver fatality and rural district, night driving, gross vehicle weight of 72,000 pounds or more, single-vehicle collision, intercity trip, and employment on an occasional basis.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00014575
• Corporate Authors:

  Pergamon Press, Incorporated

  Headington Hill Hall
  Oxford OX30BW,    
• Authors:
  • Hertz, R P
• Publication Date: 1988-12

Media Info

• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 431-439
• Serial:
  • Accident Analysis & Prevention
  • Volume: 20
  • Issue Number: 6
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0001-4575
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00014575

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Fatalities; Rest periods; Sleep; Tractor trailer combinations; Truck drivers
• Uncontrolled Terms: Sleeper berths
• Subject Areas: Highways; Motor Carriers; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00479890
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-040 836
• Files: HSL, TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 28 1991 12:00AM