Sleepiness, driving, and motor vehicle accidents: A questionnaire-based survey.

Zwahlen, Daniel; Jackowski, Christian; Pfäffli, Matthias (2016). Sleepiness, driving, and motor vehicle accidents: A questionnaire-based survey. Journal of forensic and legal medicine, 44, pp. 183-187. Elsevier 10.1016/j.jflm.2016.10.014

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In Switzerland, the prevalence of an excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in drivers undergoing a driving capacity assessment is currently not known. In this study, private and professional drivers were evaluated by means of a paper-based questionnaire, including Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Berlin Questionnaire, and additional questions to sleepiness-related accidents, near-miss accidents, health issues, and demographic data. Of the 435 distributed questionnaires, 128 completed were returned. The response rate was 29%. The mean age of the investigated drivers was 42.5 years (20-85 years). According to the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, 9% of the participants are likely to suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness. An equal percentage has a high risk for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome based on the Berlin Questionnaire. 16% admitted an involuntary nodding off while driving a motor vehicle. This subset of the participants scored statistically significant higher on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (p = 0.036). 8% of the participants already suffered an accident because of being sleepy while driving. An equal number experienced a sleepiness-related near-miss accident on the road. The study shows that a medical workup of excessive daytime sleepiness is highly recommended in each driver undergoing a driving capacity assessment. Routine application of easily available and time-saving assessment tools such as the Epworth Sleepiness Scale questionnaire could prevent accidents in a simple way. The applicability of the Berlin Questionnaire to screen suspected fatal sleepiness-related motor vehicle accidents is discussed.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > Service Sector > Institute of Legal Medicine > Traffic Medicine, Psychiatry and Psychology
04 Faculty of Medicine > Service Sector > Institute of Legal Medicine
04 Faculty of Medicine > Service Sector > Institute of Legal Medicine > Forensic Medicine

UniBE Contributor:

Zwahlen, Daniel, Jackowski, Christian, Pfäffli, Matthias

Subjects:

600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health

ISSN:

1752-928X

Publisher:

Elsevier

Language:

English

Submitter:

Antoinette Angehrn

Date Deposited:

27 Dec 2016 16:31

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:59

Publisher DOI:

10.1016/j.jflm.2016.10.014

PubMed ID:

27821309

Uncontrolled Keywords:

Driving capacity; Excessive daytime sleepiness; Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome; Sleep disorder; Traffic accident

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.90425

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/90425

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