Work stress, fatigue and risk behaviors at the wheel: Data to assess the association between psychosocial work factors and risky driving on Bus Rapid Transit drivers

Useche, Sergio; Cendales, Boris; Gómez, Viviola · 2017 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2017.09.032

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Summary

This study investigates the association between psychosocial work factors, fatigue, and risky driving behaviors among Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) drivers. The research addresses the critical need to understand how occupational stress and physical exhaustion impact professional drivers, whose safety directly affects public transportation systems. By focusing on BRT operators in Bogotá, Colombia, the authors aim to provide data that can be generalized to other BRT systems globally, thereby informing risk management strategies in occupational psychology and road safety. The study employed a cross-sectional design involving 524 male BRT operators affiliated with the Transmilenio S.A. mass transport system. Participants had a mean age of 40.6 years and an average driving experience of 17.6 years. Data were collected using a structured, self-administered questionnaire comprising several validated instruments. Job strain and social support were measured using the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ), while occupational effort-reward imbalance was assessed via the Effort/Reward Imbalance (ERI) Questionnaire. Fatigue was evaluated using the Checklist Individual Strength for chronic fatigue and the Need for Recovery after Work Scale for job-related fatigue. Psychological distress was measured using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), and risky driving behaviors were quantified using a 21-item adapted Driving Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ). Statistical analysis utilized hierarchical multiple linear regression to examine the predictive power of psychosocial and physiological factors on risk behaviors. The model included demographic and work-related variables (driving experience, hours driven per day, days worked per week) in the first step, followed by job strain and social support, effort-reward imbalance, need for recovery, chronic fatigue, and psychological distress in subsequent steps. The final model explained 31% of the variance in risky driving behaviors ($R^2 = 0.31$). Results indicated that higher hours driven per day, greater job strain, higher effort-reward imbalance, increased need for recovery, higher chronic fatigue, and greater psychological distress were all significantly associated with increased risk behaviors at the wheel. Conversely, driving experience showed a negative association with risk behaviors, while social support at work was not a significant predictor. The findings highlight that both psychosocial stressors and physical fatigue are significant contributors to risky driving among professional BRT drivers. The study underscores the importance of addressing occupational health conditions, such as job strain and chronic fatigue, to mitigate safety risks in public transportation. The provided dataset allows for further analysis and comparison with other groups of professional drivers, offering valuable insights for policymakers and researchers aiming to improve working conditions and road safety in BRT systems worldwide.

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• shift work driving
• stress driving

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• Empirical Findings: physiological data
• Theoretical Contribution: theory or model, computational model