Influence of workplace environment, working conditions and health status of taxi drivers on vehicle collisions or near-miss events

BABA, Mineko; MIYAMA, Genta; SUGIYAMA, Daisuke; HITOSUGI, Masahito · 2018 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.2486/indhealth.2018-0104

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (DOI — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This study investigates the risk factors contributing to health-related vehicle collisions and near-miss events among taxi drivers in Japan. While sudden illness while driving is a known cause of traffic accidents, previous research had not specifically examined the workplace and health factors influencing these incidents among taxi drivers, who face high physical and mental loads and an aging demographic. The authors aimed to identify these risk factors to inform preventative interventions and improve safety management for commercial drivers. The researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey using an anonymous written questionnaire distributed to company-employed taxi drivers in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, between September and November 2014. Of the 4,581 drivers randomly selected, 1,739 returned completed questionnaires. Participants were categorized into an "Event group" (those who experienced collisions or near-miss incidents due to health problems) and a "Non-event group." The survey collected data on demographics, work conditions (including vacation time and break habits), health status (chronic diseases and medical checkups), and the ease of reporting poor health to employers. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine significant risk factors, controlling for variables such as age, chronic disease status, and work environment. The results indicated that 10.1% of respondents belonged to the Event group. Multivariable analysis identified four significant risk factors for health-related events. The most influential factor was being unable to take vacation time, with an odds ratio (OR) of 4.59. Other significant risks included difficulty reporting poor health conditions (OR 2.29), taking insufficient vacation time (OR 1.81), and having chronic diseases (OR 1.52). Notably, while age and irregular breaks showed significance in univariable analysis, they did not remain significant in the multivariable model. The study also found that 60% of drivers had diagnosed chronic diseases, primarily hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes, and 7.2% reported difficulty reporting health issues to their employers. The findings suggest that workplace environment and health management practices are critical in preventing health-related vehicle collisions. Specifically, the inability to take sufficient vacation time and the difficulty in reporting health issues are major contributors to risk. The authors conclude that interventions should focus on supporting drivers in maintaining balanced health control, ensuring adequate vacation time to mitigate fatigue, and creating workplace cultures that encourage immediate reporting of health difficulties. These measures could help prevent sudden illness-related accidents, particularly among the aging population of taxi drivers.

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed.

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-26; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• medical conditions