Lorry driver's time habits in work and their involvement in traffic accidents

Abstract

Using representative samples of drivers operating in freight transportation, the sociological features of lorry drivers, the process of formation of this group, and their work conditions are described. In many ways they are similar to other blue collar workers. The analysis of career evolution shows the existence of social processes of selection, whereby some people leave this sort of work, while others stay in it but try to improve their working conditions by migrating to firms offering better salaries and/or easier conditions.

As ‘normal’ durations and rhythms of work are known, it was possible to calculate the risk exposure to road accident involvement (according to the time at which the drivers are at the wheel and in relation to the amount of work already carried out) and to compare it, using a representative sample of the drivers involved, to the time features of the driver's activities prior to the accident. This demonstrated that the risk of involvement in an accident increases with the number of hours carried out, and according to the time at which the drivers are at the wheel (at the end of a normal working day and at night).

However, the relation between the duration of the work periods and the accident risk is not the same for different types of drivers. Younger drivers, and those in the Transportation Branch, are exposed to a higher global risk level, but apparently find various ‘resources’ to fight fatigue for the most dangerous threshold periods. Thus it is necessary to take account of physiological mechanisms on the one hand, and acquisition modes of ‘know-how’ which may compensate for fatigue, on the other.

Keywords:

• Lorry drivers
• Accidents
• Time of day
• Work span duration