Understanding Fatigue as a Cause of Work-Related Traffic Crashes Among Professional Drivers in East Africa

Abstract

This study seeks to understand how fatigue affects professional drivers operating in East Africa. Fatigue is a well-known and yet puzzling concept. Generally, most people know what it feels like to experience fatigue but an exact definition has proven elusive. It is understood to be a state that proceeds from a period of either mental or physical exertion and is characterised by decreased efficiency and capacity to appropriately respond to stimuli. Professional drivers work long and irregular hours, face minimal social contact, and increased health risks. The occupational characteristics of professional drivers lead to experiencing fatigue and its deleterious effects on performance. Fatigue negatively impacts driving performance through slower reaction times, reducing the ability to keep distance from adjacent cars, increase mental withdrawal from the task of driving and reduced steering performance. To understand the impact of fatigue on professional drivers operating in East Africa a questionnaire was developed to gain insights on their driving behaviour, experiences with fatigue and its effects and whether they had experienced traffic crashes.