PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

WSU research study supports new safety rule for truck drivers

Better attention, less sleepiness seen after 2 nights off duty

2014-01-31
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Hans Van Dongen
hvd@wsu.edu
509-358-7755
Washington State University
WSU research study supports new safety rule for truck drivers Better attention, less sleepiness seen after 2 nights off duty SPOKANE, Wash. –The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today released the findings of a field study conducted by the Washington State University (WSU) Sleep and Performance Research Center. The study provides evidence that a revised provision in new hours-of-service regulations for truck drivers is more effective at combatting fatigue than the previous version. The new trucking regulations took effect last July.

Hours-of service safety regulations prescribe that truck drivers may not drive more than 60/70 hours on duty in the most recent 7/8 days. The field study examined a change in the so-called restart provision, which allows drivers to start a new duty cycle after going off duty for at least 34 hours. Under the revised provision, drivers are required to include at least two nighttime periods (from 1 to 5 a.m.) in their restart breaks so that they have enough opportunity for sleep.

The researchers measured driving, sleep, and fatigue across two duty cycles and the intervening restart break in more than 100 truck drivers. They compared duty cycles preceded by one nighttime period with duty cycles preceded by two or more nighttime periods. Study results showed that drivers with two or more nighttime periods in their restart breaks experienced fewer lapses of attention, reported less sleepiness while on duty, and maintained their lane position better than those with only one nighttime period in their restart.

"Earlier laboratory studies we have done for FMCSA suggested that the old provision did not provide sufficient sleep opportunity for nighttime drivers whose restart break included only one nighttime period," said research professor Hans Van Dongen, the principal investigator on the study. "Our field study has shown that nighttime drivers tended to have a nocturnal sleep schedule during their restart breaks and that adding a second nighttime period therefore allows them additional time for sleep recuperation."

Congress mandated the field study as part of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), which was signed into law by President Obama in July 2012. MAP-21 called for a field study to be completed to expand upon the results of lab studies conducted by the WSU Sleep and Performance Research Center in 2009 and 2010. Those studies provided a scientific basis for the new hours-of-service safety regulations, which were first announced by FMCSA in December 2011.

The WSU Sleep and Performance Research Center completed the recent field study between January and July 2013 in collaboration with Pulsar Informatics, a private firm that develops behavioral alertness technology. The research team outfitted the trucks of participating drivers with technology to measure driving performance metrics, such as lane deviation and speed. In addition, drivers wore wrist activity monitors that measure sleep and wakefulness, and they were provided with portable devices to complete computer-based performance testing.

The field study and the preceding laboratory experiments are part of the Sleep and Performance Research Center's continuing line of research on the effects of fatigue in around-the-clock operational environments, including transportation.

INFORMATION:

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Penn study finds more than a third of women have hot flashes 10 years after menopause

2014-01-31
PHILADELPHIA - A team of researchers from the Perelman School ...

Like the X-Men, a diversely talented group of cancer cells is hard to defeat

2014-01-31
For a cancer cell, it pays to have a group of eccentric friends. Like X-Men characters, a group ...

Could you relationship with your mom increase your child's chances of obesity?

2014-01-31
URBANA, Ill. – Could the quality of your attachment to your parents affect your own child's risk for obesity? A new ...

Rice lab clocks 'hot' electrons

2014-01-31
HOUSTON – (Jan. 30, 2014) – Plasmonic nanoparticles developed at Rice University are becoming known for their ability to turn light into heat, but how to use them to generate ...

Forests in Central America paying the price of drug trafficking shift

2014-01-31
A group of researchers focused on sustainable practices, geography and earth sciences found something unexpected during their work in Central America: the effects of drug trafficking ...

What your company can learn from NASA tragedies

2014-01-31
BYU business professor Peter Madsen has been researching NASA's safety climate ever since the Columbia shuttle broke apart upon re-entering Earth's ...

USF psychologist: Childhood depression may increase risk of heart disease by teen years

2014-01-31
TAMPA, Fla. – Children with depression are more likely to be obese, ...

RI Hospital researchers identify components in C. diff that may lead to better treatment

2014-01-31
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Rhode Island Hospital researchers have identified components in Clostridium ...

Researchers create database to examine vast resources of health legacy foundations

2014-01-31
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Jan. 30, 2014 - Local communities can expect the number and asset size of philanthropic foundations to increase, due to the rise in health ...

A detailed look at HIV in action

2014-01-31
The human intestinal tract, or gut, is best known for its role in digestion. But this collection of organs also plays a prominent ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Inspired by bacteria’s defense strategies

Research spotlight: Combination therapy shows promise for overcoming treatment resistance in glioblastoma

University of Houston co-leads $25 million NIH-funded grant to study the delay of nearsightedness in children

NRG Oncology PREDICT-RT study completes patient accrual, tests individualized concurrent therapy and radiation for high-risk prostate cancer

Taking aim at nearsightedness in kids before it’s diagnosed

With no prior training, dogs can infer how similar types of toys work, even when they don’t look alike

Three deadliest risk factors of a common liver disease identified in new study

Dogs can extend word meanings to new objects based on function, not appearance

Palaeontology: South American amber deposit ‘abuzz’ with ancient insects

Oral microbes linked to increased risk of pancreatic cancer

Soccer heading does most damage to brain area critical for cognition

US faces rising death toll from wildfire smoke, study finds

Scenario projections of COVID-19 burden in the US, 2024-2025

Disparities by race and ethnicity in percutaneous coronary intervention

Glioblastoma cells “unstick” from their neighbors to become more deadly

Oral bacterial and fungal microbiome and subsequent risk for pancreatic cancer

New light on toxicity of Bluefin tuna

Menopause drug reduces hot flashes by more than 70%, international clinical trial finds

FGF21 muscle hormone associated with slow ALS progression and extended survival

Hitting the right note: The healing power of music therapy in the cardiac ICU

Cardiovascular disease risk rises in Mexico, despite improved cholesterol control

Flexible optical touch sensor simultaneously pinpoints pressure strength and location

Achalasia diagnosis simplified to AI plus X-ray

PolyU scholars pioneer smart and sustainable personal cooling technologies to address global extreme heat

NIH grant aims for childhood vaccine against HIV

Menstrual cycle and long COVID: A relation confirmed

WMO report on global water resources: 2024 was characterized by both extreme drought and intense rainfall

New findings explain how a mutation in a cancer-related gen causes pulmonary fibrosis

Thermal trigger

SNU materials science and engineering team identifies reconstruction mechanism of copper alloy catalysts for CO₂ conversion

[Press-News.org] WSU research study supports new safety rule for truck drivers
Better attention, less sleepiness seen after 2 nights off duty