TY - JOUR PY - 2018// TI - An exploratory study of long-haul truck drivers' secondary tasks and reasons for performing them JO - Accident analysis and prevention A1 - Iseland, Tobias A1 - Johansson, Emma A1 - Skoog, Siri A1 - Daderman, Anna M. SP - 154 EP - 163 VL - 117 IS - N2 - Research on drivers has shown how certain visual-manual secondary tasks, unrelated to driving, increase the risk of being involved in crashes. The purpose of the study was to investigate (1) if long-haul truck drivers in Sweden engage in secondary tasks while driving, what tasks are performed and how frequently, (2) the drivers' self-perceived reason/s for performing them, and (3) if psychological factors might reveal reasons for their engaging in secondary tasks. The study comprised 13 long-haul truck drivers and was conducted through observations, interviews, and questionnaires. The drivers performed secondary tasks, such as work environment related "necessities" (e.g., getting food and/or beverages from the refrigerator/bag, eating, drinking, removing a jacket, face rubbing, and adjusting the seat), interacting with a mobile phone/in-truck technology, and doing administrative tasks. The long-haul truck drivers feel bored and use secondary tasks as a coping strategy to alleviate boredom/drowsiness, and for social interaction. The higher number of performed secondary tasks could be explained by lower age, shorter driver experience, less openness to experience, lower honesty-humility, lower perceived stress, lower workload, and by higher health-related quality of life. These explanatory results may serve as a starting point for further studies on large samples to develop a safer and healthier environment for long-haul truck drivers.

Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 0001-4575 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2018.04.010 ID - ref1 ER -