Turkey was shaken by traffic accidents that occurred in Gaziantep and Mardin over the weekend. 35 people lost their lives in both accidents. Along with the accidents, measures regarding occupational health and safety during travel came to the agenda. Experts emphasize that one of the most important factors contributing to traffic accidents involving drivers of heavy vehicles transporting cargo and passengers in our country is driving fatigue and insomnia, stating that there is a need for studies in this area. Experts point out that drivers should be treated as victims, not perpetrators, of accidents, and state that as a society, we must urgently abandon the behavior of being spectators in accident areas.
The biggest factor in accidents is ‘driving fatigue’
Head of the Occupational Health and Safety Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Üsküdar Üniversitesi, Assist. Prof. Dr. Rüştü Uçan, made an evaluation regarding the importance of occupational health and safety in traffic accidents.
‘Road traffic safety management’ should be implemented in companies!
Assist. Prof. Dr. Rüştü Uçan stated that while discussions in traffic accidents usually focus on whether vehicle drivers are at fault, the role of the companies to which the vehicles belong in the occurrence of accidents should also be discussed. Assist. Prof. Dr. Rüştü Uçan said, “Results cannot be obtained because incidents have been approached only from the driver's (employee's) perspective until now. Road traffic safety management should be implemented in companies that primarily transport cargo and in bus companies. These are holistic efforts made to prevent traffic accidents, avoid human deaths and injuries caused by traffic accidents, and prevent moral and material losses.”
Root cause analysis should be performed!
Noting that traffic accidents are a combination of road, weather conditions, driver, and vehicle factors, Assist. Prof. Dr. Rüştü Uçan said, “It is essential for an accident investigation and root cause analysis to be carried out by a team with the competence and expertise to evaluate all these factors to find the root cause of a traffic accident. Only in this way can accidents be prevented, and with a holistic approach, it will be possible to determine the improvements that need to be made throughout the entire system.”
Drivers should be treated as victims, not perpetrators!
Assist. Prof. Dr. Rüştü Uçan noted that especially drivers who operate commercial vehicles and are employed by a company, legally referred to as 'şoförler' (drivers), should be treated as victims, not perpetrators, of traffic accidents. He said, “Each of the main aspects, including road conditions, weather conditions, the driver, the road traffic safety management system of the company employing the drivers, the country's traffic legislation, and the system for implementing this legislation, should be examined in detail.” Uçan pointed out the importance of vehicles adhering to speed limits on intercity roads, and the presence of tachometers and GPS devices in trucks.
Driver recruitment processes and orientations are important
Stating that employers should establish functional processes for all issues that could lead to traffic accidents, Assist. Prof. Dr. Rüştü Uçan said, “For example, regarding driver-related matters, it is necessary to have information such as knowledge of traffic rules, vehicle operating proficiency, health status, and past traffic violations during driver competency evaluation and recruitment processes. Critical issues such as the existence and adequacy of the driver orientation program, reward-penalty applications, the existence and adequacy of occupational safety training, receiving periodic safe driving training, monitoring compliance with legal driving, working, and resting hours, monitoring health deteriorations that would negatively affect driving, providing all information related to the road vehicle used, and providing periodic feedback for continuous improvement should be meticulously evaluated.”
One should not be a spectator in the accident area
Noting that the number of dead and injured increased in Mardin after the first accident due to a second truck collision, Assist. Prof. Dr. Rüştü Uçan said, “This indicates that the 112 emergency teams arriving for assistance started helping without establishing road safety. This was a critical mistake. These teams should be continuously provided with training and drills on how to act in such situations. Being a spectator in the accident area is very wrong. As seen here, it can lead to fatalities or lifelong disability for individuals. We must urgently abandon this as a society.”
Driving while tired and sleepless invites accidents
Stating that one of the biggest causes of traffic accidents is drivers operating vehicles while tired and sleepless, Assist. Prof. Dr. Rüştü Uçan said, “It is known that the practice of forcing drivers to work without sufficient rest plays a significant role in frequently occurring passenger bus accidents.”
Insufficient number of drivers employed
Assist. Prof. Dr. Rüştü Uçan stated that the driving profession, which has passed down from father to son until today, is now causing difficulties in finding drivers across all sectors because families do not want their children to pursue this job. He said, “This shrinking supply of drivers, coupled with companies' inability to provide satisfactory economic conditions to the drivers they hire, increases companies' direct and indirect costs, while operational activities attempted with an insufficient number of drivers, non-compliance with legal driving hours, and an increase in night driving lead to a rise in traffic accidents. Furthermore, reasons such as chronic fatigue, chronic insomnia, and an inability to spend sufficient quality time with family lead to negative consequences like employee dissatisfaction and an increase in the number of traffic accidents and penalties.”
Assist. Prof. Dr. Rüştü Uçan stated that especially during the agricultural season, drivers who have fields or gardens in their hometowns leave their driving jobs, even if temporarily, to engage in agricultural activities because they earn more money there. He added, “This decrease in driver supply and scarcity of quality drivers causes companies to accept all negative conditions and outcomes, hiring only drivers with legal documents without any further evaluation, and agreeing to various conditions set by drivers.” Assist. Prof. Dr. Rüştü Uçan added that unfortunately, very important issues such as drivers' legal qualifications, legal working hours, working conditions, health status and checks, psychological states, positions in social life, eating habits, and occupational diseases are relegated to the background.
Driving fatigue and insomnia are the most important factors
Emphasizing that one of the most important factors contributing to traffic accidents involving drivers of heavy vehicles transporting cargo and passengers in our country is driving fatigue and insomnia, Assist. Prof. Dr. Rüştü Uçan said, “There is a need for studies to be carried out solely in this area. Drivers who operate vehicles for long periods without breaks, drivers who drive at night, in the afternoon, and during hours they would normally sleep, drivers who take sedatives or alcohol, drivers who drive alone, drivers who drive on long and boring roads, frequent travelers, and drivers with disturbed sleep and fatigue are most at risk for sleep-related accidents.”
Insomnia increases accident risk
Noting that insomnia reduces optimal reaction times and hinders moderately drowsy individuals from stopping in time during a dangerous situation by reducing their performance, Assist. Prof. Dr. Rüştü Uçan said, “Even very slight delays in reaction time can have a profound impact on accident risks, especially at high speeds. A person in need of sleep tires more quickly at the wheel, their attention decreases over time, and they can fall asleep at the wheel, leading to an accident.”
20% of fatal accidents occur during peak fatigue hours
Assist. Prof. Dr. Rüştü Uçan noted that driver fatigue is a particular problem for truck drivers, stating, “A study revealed that 20% of all fatal accidents and a portion of injury-causing accidents involving trucks occur between midnight and 6:00 AM, hours when driver fatigue peaks. Driver fatigue has an impact of 30% to 40% in all truck accidents. Many studies show that young male drivers (under 30) have a higher risk of being involved in sleep-related accidents. It has been revealed that approximately half of the drivers involved in sleep-related accidents are male drivers under 30 (with a peak between 21-25 years old).”
Assist. Prof. Dr. Rüştü Uçan emphasized that considering all these factors, the following issues, especially hazardous material transportation, and heavy vehicle cargo and passenger transportation, should be re-addressed with the contributions of the state, universities, non-governmental organizations, the private sector working in road traffic safety, and other private sectors.