01555207

Component

https://doi.org/10.3141/2516-11

This study used the Naturalistic Truck Driving Study data set to test the feasibility of applying naturalistic data to evaluation of the relationship between prescription (Rx) and over-the-counter (OTC) drug use and involvement in a safety-critical event (SCE). The risk of drug use was calculated by comparing SCEs and baseline epochs that occurred within a drug’s half-life with SCEs and baseline epochs that did not occur within a drug’s half-life (for the same half-life period). This research found that nearly 97% of commercial motor vehicle drivers used an OTC drug at least once (mostly caffeine), and 25% used at least one Rx drug. Furthermore, Rx and noncaffeine OTC drug use was not associated with an increased or decreased risk of involvement in an SCE. As caffeine was the only drug classification used multiple times by many drivers, this odds ratio analysis was the only analysis performed. Caffeine use while driving was found to be associated with a decreased risk of SCE involvement in all seven half-lives (half-life odds ratios ranging from 0.44 to 0.66). This project illustrated the feasibility of using a naturalistic driving approach to assess the risk associated with Rx and OTC drug use while driving. It is possible that analyses for specific medications could be performed with a sufficiently large sample of drivers who used each classification of drug.

01596041

15-0908

English

pp 75–80

2015

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board

9780309369404

Print

Figures (2) ; References (15) ; Tables (2)

Automatic data collection systems; Caffeine; Commercial vehicles; Drug use; Highway safety; Medication; Pilot studies; Risk; Trucks

Odds ratio

Education and Training; Freight Transportation; Highways; Motor Carriers; Safety and Human Factors

PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Dec 30 2014 12:23PM

• Accuracy of Injury Severity Ratings on Police Crash Reports
• Before-and-After Empirical Bayes Evaluation of Automated Mobile Speed Enforcement on Urban Arterial Roads
• Behind the Wheel: Confidence and Naturalistic Measures of Driving Exposure Among Older Drivers
• Emergency Braking in Adults Versus Novice Teen Drivers: Response to Simulated Sudden Driving Events
• Evaluation of a Risk Awareness Perception Training Program on Novice Teen Driver Behavior at Left-Turn Intersections
• Older Adults as Cutaway Bus Passengers: User-Centered Literature Review
• Potential of Group Incentive Schemes to Encourage Use of Driving Safety Apps
• Preliminary Investigation of Circumstances Contributing to Fatal Crashes Involving Law Enforcement Officers
• Teen Drivers’ Perceptions of Their Peer Passengers: Qualitative Study
• Value of Confirmation Lights and Their Unintended Impact on Driver Compliance and Deterrence to Running a Red Light