Professional Drivers

This chapter discusses characteristics of truck, taxi, and bus drivers. Truck drivers, taxi drivers, bus drivers, and other drivers whose profession is to drive in a vehicle for working purposes differ from other road users due to the very fact that they drive for a living. Buses are one of the most popular modes of public transport worldwide. Bus drivers are much less involved in crashes than are truck drivers. The main cause of bus crashes is human error committed by bus drivers or by others. Taxi driving is one of the most dangerous driving occupations because of the many risks involved, including physical, environmental, and health-related risks. Truck drivers, taxi drivers, bus drivers, and other drivers whose profession is to drive in a vehicle for working purposes differ from other road users due to the very fact that they drive for a living. Prolonged time spent on the road, for all professional drivers, determines the most common characteristics, but the unique task of each group dictates and shapes the specific characteristics that distinguish them from each other. Drivers' accumulated experience contributes to higher control of the vehicle in which they drive but at the same time reduces safe driving. The hours of driving have long-term and short-term effects on the health of professional drivers, especially fatigue and even acute or chronic sleep restriction. These symptoms have implications not only for their health and quality of life but also for road safety. In addition to fatigue, bus and taxi drivers are prone to suffer from other diseases resulting mainly from the mental and physical intensity of their work.