Multiple Conditions Increase Preventable Crash Risks Among Truck Drivers in a Cohort Study

Abstract

Objective This study aims to quantify the crash risk for truck drivers with multiple comorbid medical conditions, after adjusting for confounders. Methods This retrospective cohort of 38,184 drivers evaluated concomitant medical conditions and subsequent crash data between 1/1/2005–10/31/2012. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated for any cause and preventable crashes of varying severity. Results Drivers with three or more medical conditions had significantly increased risk of preventable Department of Transportation (DOT) reportable crashes (HR=2.53, 95% CI=1.65–3.88) and preventable crashes with injuries (HR=2.23, 95% CI=1.09–5.31) after adjustment for covariates. Similarly, adjusted HRs were 2.55 (95% CI=1.37–4.73) for any cause DOT-reportable crashes and 3.21 (95% CI=1.18–8.75) for any cause crashes with injuries. Conclusions Having three concomitant medical conditions may be a statistically significant risk factor for preventable and any cause DOT-reportable crashes and crashes with injuries.

Cardiometabolic risk factors and mental health status among truck drivers: a systematic review

“…Ulhôa et al reported that 0% of Brazilian participants asked used psychotropic drugs, 45 which is similar to findings from a US study. 12 However, Shattell et al found a relatively high prevalence of reported use of cannabis (3.4%), opioids (2.5%) and sedatives (1.8%) in the past month in a sample of US truck drivers. 2 Riva et al found a higher drug use in a sample of Italian truck drivers where 15.6% reported using recreational drugs, and of those, 12% reported they were addicted.…”

A retrospective analysis of cardiometabolic health in a large cohort of truck drivers compared to the American working population

“…A recent article it was found that CMV drivers with heart disease were more likely to have experienced a prior truck crash and drivers with multiple medical conditions were also more likely to have a crash . Changes in prevalence of medical conditions may indicate increased risk of crashes among this population.…”

A Review of Data Analytic Applications in Road Traffic Safety. Part 1: Descriptive and Predictive Modeling

“…In motor vehicle highway safety applications, these retrospective case-control studies are typically conducted using police crash reports. In the U.S., crash reports include information pertaining to number of vehicles, involvement of pedestrians, number of injuries/fatalities, road type, crash location, date-time, intersection type, presence of a nearby work zone, weather conditions, and road surface conditions [14,15]. While a lot of information can be captured in these reports, case-control studies are inherently limited for two main reasons.…”