Driving safety among Israeli military physicians in combat units

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Transportation Safety
• Military Medicine

Background:

• Physicians in combat units face high workloads and sleep deprivation, potentially impacting driving safety.
• Understanding factors affecting driving safety in this population is crucial for accident prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize driving safety among Israel Defense Forces (IDF) combat physicians.
• To identify factors influencing driving safety, including drowsy driving and motor vehicle accidents (MVAs).

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 64 IDF combat physicians with vehicles equipped with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).
• Data collected via digital questionnaires (self-reports on drowsy driving, MVAs, sleep hours, burnout, combat activity) and objective ADAS safety scores.
• Statistical analysis to determine correlations between sleep, burnout, combat activity, and driving safety outcomes.

Main Results:

• 82% of physicians reported dozing off while driving, correlated with fewer sleep hours and increased accelerations.
• 11% reported MVAs, with no hospitalization required; no association found between dozing off and MVAs.
• High mean ADAS safety scores were observed, positively correlated with cynicism scores.

Conclusions:

• IDF combat physicians exhibit high ADAS safety scores and low MVA rates, potentially due to a strong military safety climate.
• The high prevalence of dozing off while driving underscores a significant risk that requires targeted interventions.
• Further research is needed to address driving safety challenges in high-stress military environments.