Lack of sleep increases chances of road accidents

“The efforts of the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to suspend the franchises of bus companies involved in the numerous fatal road accidents are clearly knee-jerk reactions to appease public anger but it fails to address long-standing issues concerning road travel in the Philippines.”

This was the reaction of Noel Colina, Executive Director of the Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Development (IOHSAD), a non-stock, non-profit, non-governmental safety organization based in Manila, as a series of fatal road accidents occurred in the recent weeks.

“Man and Machine are the usual suspects – often in that order – for road accidents, pushing blame on the machine due to lack of proper maintenance and poor decision-making on the part of the driver. Most accident reports cover only the events a few minutes before the actual mishap but what we must do is check what transpired 48 hours before the tragedy to provide as a clearer picture of what were the contributing factors leading to the circumstances in point,” opined Colina.

According to Colina, various studies have shown that lack of sleep significantly increases crash risk. “One of the key findings in the study done in 2001 by the University of Seattle, USA was that crash risk was greater for drivers who suffer from acute fatigue or those who slept for less than 9 hours in the last 48 hours prior to the accident. In another study done by the University of Auckland, New Zealand, road accidents are 5 times more likely to happen between 2am and 5am, which incidentally are the schedules for cross-region road transports.”

“In the context of the Philippines, time on the wheel for most drivers is based on company policies shaped by the demand of the market and not on clear health and safety standards. Many bus drivers have no clear work-rest schedule leading to disruption in their circadian rhythm or sleep cycle causing fatigue. Even the best and most cautious drivers when faced with lack of sleep and pushed to the limit will be prone to accidents,” clarified Colina.

He further stated that the actions of the LTFRB is not enough. “Aside from the suspension and penalties for the erring companies, we are asking the Department of Labor and Employment, especially the Bureau of Working Conditions to develop a clear policy on work-rest schedules for long-haul drivers with strong consideration on the the studies on the impact of lack of sleep and crash risk and increase penalties for companies who violate.”