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Multiple Conditions Increase Preventable Crash Risks Among Truck Drivers in a Cohort Study
Matthew S Thiese1, Richard J Hanowski, Stefanos N Kales
1Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational & Environment Health, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (Drs Thiese, Hegmann); Center for Truck and Bus Safety, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, Blacksburg, Virginia (Dr Hanowski); Department of Environmental Health, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, Occupational Medicine, Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Massachusetts (Dr Kales); Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (Dr Porter); Arkansas Occupational Health Clinic, Springdale, Arkansas (Dr Moffitt); and Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (Dr Hu).
Truck drivers with three or more medical conditions face a significantly higher risk of preventable and any-cause crashes. This finding highlights the importance of managing multiple health issues for road safety.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Transportation Safety
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Commercial truck drivers are essential to the economy but face unique occupational health risks.
- Multiple comorbid medical conditions are common in this population and may impact driving safety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the crash risk associated with multiple comorbid medical conditions in commercial truck drivers.
- To adjust for potential confounding factors in the analysis of crash risk.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective cohort study of 38,184 truck drivers was conducted.
- Data on medical conditions and crash records were analyzed from January 1, 2005, to October 31, 2012.
- Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated for various crash outcomes.
Main Results:
- Drivers with three or more medical conditions showed a significantly increased risk of preventable Department of Transportation (DOT)-reportable crashes (HR=2.53) and preventable crashes with injuries (HR=2.23).
- Similarly, adjusted HRs for any cause DOT-reportable crashes were 2.55 and for any cause crashes with injuries were 3.21.
- These increased risks remained significant after adjusting for covariates.
Conclusions:
- Having three or more concomitant medical conditions is a statistically significant risk factor for truck drivers.
- This condition is associated with increased risk for both preventable and any-cause DOT-reportable crashes, including those with injuries.
- Managing multiple medical conditions in truck drivers may be crucial for enhancing road safety.
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