Falling Asleep at the Wheel: A Close Look at 1,269 Fatal and Serious Injury-Producing Crashes

McConnell, Charles F.; Bretz, Karen M; Dwyer, William O.

doi:10.1207/s15402010bsm0103_4

Cited by 27 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 19 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This is in concordance with reports in the literature of increased prevalence of RLS in the elderly [35,36]. There is a lack of data regarding sleep habits and sleeprelated difficulties in the USA [37][38][39][40][41]. Most of published studies have focused on the effects of sleep on driving or sleep habits in children and adolescents.…”

Section: Impact Of Sleep Disorders On Performing Routine Daily Activisupporting

confidence: 87%

Prevalence and impact of sleep disorders and sleep habits in the United States

Ram¹,

Seirawan²,

Kumar³

et al. 2009

Sleep Breath

256

162

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Impact Of Sleep Disorders On Performing Routine Daily Activisupporting

confidence: 87%

Prevalence and impact of sleep disorders and sleep habits in the United States

Ram¹,

Seirawan²,

Kumar³

et al. 2009

Sleep Breath

256

162

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The number of crashes and severity of injury by distance driven are highest in young drivers (15-25 yr) and in those over the age of 65 years (2,3). Fatality reduction currently targets increasing seat belt use and reducing speeding and alcohol (4,5).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Official American Thoracic Society Clinical Practice Guideline: Sleep Apnea, Sleepiness, and Driving Risk in Noncommercial Drivers. An Update of a 1994 Statement

Strohl¹,

Brown²,

Collop³

et al. 2013

Am J Respir Crit Care Med

175

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Sleepiness may account for up to 20% of crashes on monotonous roads, especially highways. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common medical disorder that causes excessive daytime sleepiness, increasing the risk for drowsy driving two to three times. The purpose of these guidelines is to update the 1994 American Thoracic Society Statement that described the relationships among sleepiness, sleep apnea, and driving risk. Methods: A multidisciplinary panel was convened to develop evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for the management of sleepy driving due to OSA. Pragmatic systematic reviews were performed, and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach was used to formulate and grade the recommendations. Critical outcomes included crash-related mortality and real crashes, whereas important outcomes included near-miss crashes and driving performance. Results: A strong recommendation was made for treatment of confirmed OSA with continuous positive airway pressure to reduce driving risk, rather than no treatment, which was supported by moderate-quality evidence. Weak recommendations were made for expeditious diagnostic evaluation and initiation of treatment and against the use of stimulant medications or empiric continuous positive airway pressure to reduce driving risk. The weak recommendations were supported by very low-quality evidence. Additional suggestions included routinely determining the driving risk, inquiring about additional causes of sleepiness, educating patients about the risks of excessive sleepiness, and encouraging clinicians to become familiar with relevant laws. Discussion: The recommendations presented in this guideline are based on the current evidence, and will require an update as new evidence and/or technologies becomes available. EXECUTIVE SUMMARYObstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common medical disorder that causes excessive daytime sleepiness; it is a risk factor for both drowsy driving and car crashes due to falling asleep. The purpose of these Guidelines is to update the 1994 American Thoracic Society Statement that described the relationships among sleepiness, driving risk, and sleep-disordered breathing, the most common of which is OSA. The intended audience is the practitioner who encounters patients with sleep disorders. Conclusionsd OSA versus non-OSA is associated with a two-to threetimes increased overall risk for motor vehicle crashes, but prediction of risk in an individual is imprecise.d A high-risk driver is defined as one who has moderate to severe daytime sleepiness and a recent unintended motor vehicle crash or a near-miss attributable to sleepiness, fatigue, or inattention.d There is no compelling evidence to restrict driving privileges in patients with sleep apnea if there has not been a motor vehicle crash or an equivalent event.d Treatment of OSA improves performance on driving simulators and might reduce the risk of drowsy driving and drowsy driving crashes.d Timely diagnostic evaluation and treatme...

show abstract

“…4,5,9,10,[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] Young drivers (aged <25 years) are at the highest risk for sleep-related motor vehicle crashes. 4,13,[23][24][25] Australian data show that although only 20% of their driving occurs at night, 24 60% of young driver deaths happen at night, 26 with a US study showing 37% of such deaths occur on weekend nights. 25 While all drivers have a greater risk for crashing at night, existing data suggest young drivers are at even greater risk, potentially with lack of sleep a contributing factor.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%