Driver HealthWellness Over the Road

1. Driver Health
Wellness Over the Road
Dr Amit Agrawal, MCh
On behalf of IRTE Research Team

2.  Motor vehicle drivers can have a 12 – 19 year reduced life
expectancy compared to the general U.S. male population
 Medical crises are a major cause of road deaths for drivers
 Heart attack
 Stroke
 Hypoglycemia
 Loss of consciousness
Introduction
Saizman, 2007

3.  To share the result of our pilot study regarding the
demographic profile of taxi drivers in three cities who
attended driver training program
 How drivers can preserve health and prevent or improve
chronic health conditions through behavior and lifestyle
modifications
Objective

4.  Cross-sectional study
 A pre-tested questionnaire comprising of socio-
demographic, working and personal information
 Data were collected by interview technique from the taxi
drivers
 Altogether 305 taxi drivers participated in this study
 Majority (287, 94.01%) were married
Details

5. Employment
Organized 115
Private 171
Unorganized 19
Job profile
Full time 295
Part time 10
Years of driving
≤5 years 40
6-10 years 62
11-20 years 116
>20 87
Sociodemographic and morbidity
profiles of taxi drivers (n=305)

6. Driving hours
All 152
Morning 08
Morning+Evening 131
Morning+ Night 03
Evening 01
Evening+ Night 05
Night 04
Unemployed now 02
Adequate night sleep
Yes 288
No 16
Sociodemographic and morbidity
profiles of taxi drivers (n=305)

7. Systemic co-morbidities
Hypertension 01
Diabetes 12
Heart problem 12
No such problem 290
Problem of vision
Both eye 43
Either Left/Right 03
None 259
Sociodemographic and morbidity
profiles of taxi drivers (n=305)

8. Parameters Yes No
Alcohol intake 92 213
Smoking 77 228
Chewing tobacco 44 261
Formal training 69 236
Seatbelt use 303 2
Phone use in speaker mode 81 224
Call while driving 39 266
Road sign observe 219 86
Hearing music while driving 152 153
Video watching while driving 15 290
Bluetooth headphone use while driving 36 269
Patho-physiological profile of taxi
drivers in Delhi-NCR-Mumbai (n=305)

9.  All these in different combinations which may have
significantly distracted them to observe road signs accepted
by 219 (71.80%).
 Phone use in speaker mode
 Call during driving
 Hearing music
 Watched video
 Bluetooth headphone
Results

10.  Work
 Sleep
 Life
 Exercise
 Eating
 Recreation
 Family
 Community
Driving

12. Driver fatigue
 Driver fatigue is the primary cause of at least 100,000 police
- reported crashes and more than 1,500 deaths annually
(NHTSA)
 Accident rates have a peak in the mid-afternoon, when
alertness dips
 An even higher peak in the overnight hours between 2 and 6
a.m., when alertness is at its lowest point of the day

13.  Driving drowsy slows
 Reaction time
 Decreases awareness
 Impairs judgment (just like drugs or alcohol)
 Sleep-related crashes are most common
 Young people
 Who tend to stay up late
 Sleep too little
 Drive at night
 The peak age of occurrence is 20 years old
Drivers Fatigue

14.  Can't remember the last few miles driven.
 Miss traffic signs
 Difficulty concentrating
 Lane drifting and keep jerking car back into the
lane
 Repeated yawning
 Eyes rolling and head drooping
 Eyes closing momentarily
 Nodding off
Warning signs!

15.  Recognize the warning signs & Take Action Immediately!
 We cannot predict when a micro-sleep may occur
 Find a safe place to stop!
 “Take a Break”
 Suggested solution
 Avoid fragmented and erratic work schedules
 Adequate sleep: 6-8 hours recommended
Take action!!

16.  Driving under the influence of a drug is illegal
 Drugs affect your ability to drive in many ways
 Drugs and alcohol never mix with driving
Alcohol and Drugs

17.  Causes diseases
 Lung cancer
 Lung diseases
 Heart disease
 Respiratory disorders
 Many other medical conditions
 Expensive
 Smoking 1 pack/day = Rs 5-7000 yearly
Tobacco Use

18.  Driving among highest stress occupations
 Social isolation
 Dangerous/high risk
 Lack of job satisfaction/control
 Insufficient sleep/chronic fatigue
 Warning signs
 Chest Pains
 Breathlessness
 Feeling sick or dizzy
 Headaches
 Indigestion or heartburn
 Sleeping problems
 Lack of appetite
 Tendency to sweat
Driving is Stressful

19. Eye sight

20.  Drivers are inactive or don't exercise regularly (Bigert, 2003)
 Exacerbates obesity and related health issues
 Directly related to cardiovascular mortality
 Physical activity recommendations
 150 minutes/week moderate intensity aerobic activity
 > 2 days/week muscle-strengthening activities
Physical Activity

21.  Overweight and Obesity
 Heart disease
 High blood pressure
 High BP may affect up to 40% of CMV drivers (Mabry, 2013)
 High cholesterol
 Diabetes
 Osteoarthritis
 Sleep apnea
 Cancer
 Depression
Chronic diseases and conditions

22.  Avoid
 Fast food
 Irregular eating schedules
 Reduce soda intake
 Replace "bad" fats with "good" fats
 Replace simple carbs (e.g., potatoes, sweets) with complex
carbs (e.g., whole grains).
 Replace sweet drinks with water
 Everything in moderation
Nutrition and Eating Habits

23.  Lifestyle modifications
 Achieve a healthy weight
 Diet and exercise: 10 lb loss can normalize BP
 Exercise
 30 minutes/day can lower BP within weeks
 Nutrition
 Increase whole grains, fruits, veggies, low-fat dairy
 Reduce animal fats, sodium
 Manage anger/stress
 Quit smoking
 Blood pressure/Glucose monitoring and control
 Medications
The answer: Save Health

24. Minimise the risk

25.  Driving is a challenging job under often difficult
conditions.
 If we can ensure that driver fitness and health is
correctly managed it will help to Improve our safety
record
 Reduce the likelihood of accidents and their
associated cost, time and reputation loss
 Drivers have a personal responsibility to wisely
manage their own health and lifestyle
Conclusions

26. Healthy
eating
Regular
exercise
Regular
rests
Regular
eye tests
Regular
health checks