Sleep Apnea Crash Risk Study [Brief]

Details

• Corporate Creators:
  United States. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Technology Division
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Alertness Apnea Crash Causes Fatigue (Physiological Condition) Sleep Sleep Deprivation
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FMCSA-RT-04-007
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.21949/1502755
• Resource Type:
  Brief
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
• Abstract:
  Sleep apnea is a condition in which a narrowing or closure of the upper airway during sleep causes repeated sleep disturbances, and possible complete awakenings, leading to poor sleep quality and excessive daytime sleepiness. This study was completed to assess the risks of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) crashes due to the presence of sleep apnea among truck drivers. The primary objectives of the study were to: (1) Obtain additional and more meaningful crash data by linking the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) sleep apnea database to the FMCSA Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) crash database, (2) Understand the impact of sleep apnea and driver impairment on crash involvement, the number of crashes, and the severity of crashes, and (3) Gain insight into how crash rates are impacted before and after drivers are diagnosed with sleep apnea. The study used a modeling approach to analyze specific data regarding truck drivers and sleep apnea. The hypothesis tested was that "A driver diagnosed with sleep apnea is more likely to be involved in a motor vehicle crash than a driver with no history or symptoms of sleep apnea, after controlling for differences in the other predictor variables included in the model." The data gained in this study did not support this hypothesis.
• Format:
  PDF
• Collection(s):
  Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:a7d85e489b1ee9558b4e6e741bb40cbcd75be07cc0e7cbb81edf351e44b04cc4
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/144/dot_144_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 80.73 KB ]