Asleep at the wheel
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Truck drivers' working hours are coming under increasing scrutiny in a Governmentbacked study looking at the link between lack of sleep and serious accidents. Are cabs becoming too comfortable? The nation all too frequently awakens to radio travel bulletins that a jackknifed or upturned truck has blocked one of the busy motorways immediately before the morning rush hour begins. While we may wish to believe that Brian Redhead or Terry Wogan takes some pleasure from highlighting the apparent failings of the haulage industry, there may be more of a pattern to these reports; namely that they seem to occur in the small hours of the morning when our roads are at their quietest.
There is a growing body of academic and trades union opinion which believes at least some of these accidents are caused by drivers becoming drowsy at the wheel, maybe falling asleep—if only momentarily—and finding themselves unable to avoid serious accidents. And it is a sufficiently serious problem for the Department of Transport to have commissioned a three-year study by the Transport Research Laboratory and the Medical Commission on Accident Prevention to see if there is a definite link between fatigue and accidents,
"There isn't yet any conclusive research showing a correlation between sleep and a rise in accident rates," says the DOT, but there is sufficient suspicion for Marsham Street to be conducting an investigation, The study, which began late last year, is in two parts: the first will be an analysis of police reports of accidents involving heavy goods vehicles; the second will include interviews with drivers and a laboratory-based study of what happens when drivers suffer from fatigue. The IX-Yr says lorry drivers have been selected for the survey because they cover longer average distances-not because of any suspicion that they are more likely to fall asleep at the wheel.
While the DOT is reserving judgement, academic studies in the US, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and in the UK all point to a probable link between lack of sleep and a growing pattern of accidents. The ITN survey, by Professor Jim Horne of Loughborough University's Department of Human Studies, suggests truck drivers are particularly susceptible to this problem. lie believes drivers are at greatest risk of falling asleep at the wheel between 03:00 and 07:00hrs and says: "We are beginning to think that in any truck accident in good driving and weather conditions, where there are no mechanical defects and the truck appears to be the cause of the accident, the number one suspect is falling asleep at the wheel."
POOR DIET
He suspects that sleep deprivation and poor diet are the main causes. Even where drivers take statutory rest periods, he says the distractions of entertainment at overnight stopping places mean a driver may have had little good sleep before starting out early in the morning. And the combination of a poor diet and limited exercise makes many drivers overweight. "Being overweight can cause breathing difficulties, a sign of which is heavy snoring and that may lead to a disturbed night's sleep."
Added to that, he suspects that sleeper cabs may sometimes be too noisy or cold for adequate sleep and he believes that drivers are probably being worked harder, spending more time on non-driving duty. And, of course, there also is the strong suspicion that tachograph and hours rules are being broken by an unknown number of drivers and operators on the fringe of the industry, especially on short-haul work which is difficult to police.
Loughborough is trying to get more information on actual accidents to try and replace assumptions with facts.
In particular, Horne says it wants to get details of injuries sustained by seriously injured or dead lorry drivers. "You can tell a lot from injuries. If they have forearm injuries, that shows they have gripped the steering wheel and attempted to avoid the collision, but if they haven't tried to brake, they have probably fallen asleep."
He says research also needs to be done in driving compartments of all vehicles. "I am getting worried that cars and lorries may have become so comfortable that we may be turning the driving compartment into a bed on wheels. The old boneshaker may have some merits." Horne suggests ergonomics may have made it so easy to operate controls that sleep is induced.
The problem is also on the agenda for the two main trades unions which represent truck drivers. Both the Transport & General Workers Union and the United Road Transport Union believe there is a direct link between increased non-driving duty hours and sleep-induced accidents. URTU generalsecretary David Higginbotham says: "Speaking as an experienced driver, I can say with authority that if you work a lot of hours, you get tired. We are aware of the problem and of the need to have sound evidence to validate our views." He wants to commission medical research.
"There are two aspects to the problem," adds Higginbotham. "In the short term people are working long hours over a number of stretches. And there is a cumulative effect in the long term and we are particularly interested in that. We believe people will suffer in the long term and that this is made worse by a pretty poor diet for most drivers. But the big problem in the industryis a severe shortage of evidence."
Higginbotham says that without conclusive evidence it is difficult to argue against organisations such as the Freight Transport Association and Road Haulage Association for changes in the law TGWU commercial group secretary John Moore is convinced that the problem is a growing one. "It only takes a driver to blink off for three or four seconds for him to be over the central reservation; lorry drivers are becoming very well aware of the problem."
He believes it is not confined to early mornings: "The period after noon when Mediterraneans have a siesta is one we drive ourselves through." More than anything else, Moore, like Higginbotham, believes drowsiness is being caused by excessive working hours. "I'm not just talking about driving time, but the total driving day A driver can legally work for up to 15 hours with a 45-minute break. It really is a problem as drivers get pushed and pushed and go beyond what should be a reasonable expectation."
He argues that the fear of redundancy is making drivers accept demanding schedules, in some cases from some of the biggest operators. And remember," he says, "a 38-tonner can be a destructive force in an accident, especially The controversial Social Chapter of the Maastricht Treaty—the part the British Government is refusing to sign—contains a directive on daily, weekly and yearly rest periods for all workers in Europe. However, goods vehicle drivers may be derogated from the proposed directive.
Employees would have to take 11 consecutive hours' rest from any work every 24 hours with one day off every week and be permitted a minimum period of paid annual leave. There are also moves to extend the minimum rest period to 12 hours and to insist on at least four weeks' paid leave.
Night workers (defined as those working between 20:00hrs anf 09:00hrs) would be limited to an average of eight hours' work every 24 over 14 days; they would not be allowed to work consecutive shifts and there would be longer breaks for night workers to take account of the more demanding nature of work at those hours. And there would be an obligation to provide more health and safety protection for night workers.
The only exceptions to these rules would be in the case of imminent or actual accidents, for seasonal work and where adjusted hours were negotiated collectively by employers and employees. In such cases compensatory rest would have to be provid ed within six months.