University of Massachusetts Lowell, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 108 Falmouth Hall, One University Avenue, Lowell, MA 01854, United States.
J Safety Res. 2014 Feb;48:87-93. doi: 10.1016/j.jsr.2013.12.003. Epub 2013 Dec 18.
Driver fatigue has been a major contributing factor to fatal commercial truck crashes, which accounted for about 10% of all fatal motor vehicle crashes that happened between 2009 and 2011. Commercial truck drivers' safety performance can deteriorate easily due to fatigue caused by long driving hours and irregular working schedules. To ensure safety, truck drivers often use off-duty time and short rest breaks during a trip to recover from fatigue.
This study thoroughly investigates the impacts of off-duty time prior to a trip and short rest breaks on commercial truck safety by using Cox proportional hazards model and Andersen-Gill model.
It is found that increasing total rest-break duration can consistently reduce fatigue-related crash risk. Similarly, taking more rest breaks can help to reduce crash risk. The results suggest that two rest breaks are generally considered enough for a 10-hour trip, as three or more rest breaks may not further reduce crash risk substantially. Also, the length of each rest break does not need to be very long and 30min is usually adequate. In addition, this study investigates the safety impacts of when to take rest breaks. It is found that taking rest breaks too soon after a trip starts will cause the rest breaks to be less effective.
The findings of this research can help policy makers and trucking companies better understand the impacts of multiple rest-break periods and develop more effective rules to improve the safety of truck drivers.
驾驶员疲劳是导致致命商业卡车事故的一个主要因素，在 2009 年至 2011 年期间发生的所有致命机动车事故中，约有 10%是由疲劳引起的。由于长时间驾驶和不规律的工作时间表，商业卡车司机的安全性能很容易恶化。为了确保安全，卡车司机经常在旅行中利用休息时间和短暂的休息时间来恢复疲劳。
本研究通过使用 Cox 比例风险模型和 Andersen-Gill 模型，深入研究了旅行前的休息时间和短暂休息对商业卡车安全的影响。
研究发现，增加总休息时间可以持续降低与疲劳相关的碰撞风险。同样，多休息几次也有助于降低碰撞风险。结果表明，通常情况下，10 小时的行程需要两次休息，三次或更多次休息不太可能大幅降低碰撞风险。此外，每次休息的时间不需要很长，30 分钟通常就足够了。此外，本研究还调查了何时休息对安全的影响。研究发现，在旅行开始后不久就休息，休息效果会降低。
这项研究的结果可以帮助政策制定者和卡车运输公司更好地了解多次休息期间的影响，并制定更有效的规则，以提高卡车司机的安全性。
