Associations between taxi drivers aggressive driving behavior and sleep, cognitive function, and depression
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Summary
This study investigates the associations between aggressive driving behaviors and sleep quality, cognitive function, and psychological factors among taxi drivers in South Korea. The research was motivated by the critical safety risks posed by taxi drivers, who face unique occupational stressors such as extended driving hours, night shifts, and income structures tied to distance traveled. With a rapidly aging driver population and high accident rates attributed to violations and non-adherence to safe driving protocols, the authors aimed to identify modifiable risk factors to inform policy and intervention strategies. The researchers conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study using self-report questionnaires distributed to taxi drivers in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province between August and December 2022. After excluding participants with missing data, the final analysis included 992 drivers aged 30 and older. Aggressive driving behavior was the dependent variable, measured using the Driving Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ), which categorizes behaviors into lapses, errors, and violations. Independent variables included sleep quality (assessed via the Insomnia Severity Index and Epworth Sleepiness Scale), cognitive function (measured by the Subjective Memory Complaints Questionnaire and Cognitive Failure Questionnaire), and psychological factors (evaluated using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale). The study controlled for general demographics and driver-specific characteristics, such as age, BMI, driving experience, and comorbidities. Statistical analysis employed negative binomial regression to account for overdispersion in the data. The results indicated a mean aggressive driving score of 13.76, with the highest sub-scores observed in violations (6.99), followed by lapses (3.46) and errors (3.31). Specific high-risk behaviors included pushing in at the last minute, overtaking slow drivers on the inside, and disregarding speed limits. Regression analysis revealed that higher scores for aggressive driving were significantly associated with increased severity of insomnia and daytime sleepiness, higher rates of cognitive failure, and elevated levels of depression and stress. Conversely, lower levels of anxiety were associated with increased aggressive driving. The study population was predominantly male (98.3%) with an average age of 59.3 years, and 56.8% reported having comorbidities. The findings underscore the complex interplay between physiological, cognitive, and mental health factors and unsafe driving practices among taxi drivers. The authors conclude that addressing sleep deprivation, cognitive decline, and psychological distress is imperative for reducing traffic accidents. They recommend the development of targeted educational and intervention programs, as well as policy measures such as mandatory rest periods and cognitive health screenings. The study acknowledges limitations regarding its cross-sectional design, which precludes causal inference, and potential selection bias due to voluntary participation. Future longitudinal research is suggested to better understand the temporal dynamics of these associations, particularly among elderly drivers.
Key finding
Aggressive driving behavior in taxi drivers is positively associated with insomnia severity, daytime sleepiness, cognitive failure, depression, and stress, but negatively associated with anxiety.
Methodology
survey
Sample size: 992
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. Discovered via scout_discovery on 2026-05-08.
| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | partial | scout | — | — | 2 | 2026-05-08 |
| archive | success | unpaywall | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-04 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 3 | 2026-06-10 |
| clean | success | clean | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-04 |
| chunk | success | chunk | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-04 |
| embed | success | embed | Qwen/Qwen3-Embedding-8B | — | 1 | 2026-06-04 |
| enrich | success | semantic_scholar | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-04 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-04 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 15 | 2026-06-11 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.
Topics
Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.
- sleep deprivation
- anxiety depression driving
- dbq psychometrics
- human error taxonomy
- anger road rage
- cognitive capacity variation
Information type
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- Empirical Findings: physiological data
- Theoretical Contribution: theory or model, computational model