Objective: To evaluate the sleep hygiene and prevalence of sleep deprivatio
n among a large sample of automobile drivers.
Design: From the 15th of June to the 4th of August 1996, with the help of t
he French highway patrol, we randomly stopped automobile drivers at the tol
l booths of Bordeaux and Biarritz. All subjects completed a validated quest
ionnaire on sleep/wake habits during the year, After answering the question
naire, subjects completed a graphic travel and sleep log of the three days
preceding the interview.
Participants: We randomly stopped 2196 automobile drivers, Ninety-one perce
nt of the sample (mean age 43 +/- 13 years) agreed to participate in the su
rvey.
Results: Fifty percent of the drivers decreased their total sleep time in t
he 24 hours before the interview compared with their regular self-reported
sleep time. 12.5% presented a sleep debt >180 minutes, and 2.7% presented a
sleep debt >300 minutes, Being young, commuting to work, driving long dist
ances, starting the trip at night, being an "evening" person, being a long
sleeper during the week, and sleeping in on the week-end were risk factors
significantly associated with sleep debt.
Conclusion: The results of the study highlight variables (long-distance dri
ving, youth, sleep restriction) that are frequently associated with sleep-r
elated accidents.