A new study conducted in Australia found that long-haul truck drivers that drink caffeine are significantly less likely to be involved in commercial truck accidents than truckers who did not drink coffee, energy drinks, or caffeinated soda.
The study, called, “Use of caffeinated substances and risk of crashes in long distance drivers of commercial vehicles,” was published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), and conducted by lead author Lisa Sharwood at the George Institute for Global Health in Sydney, found that big-rig drivers who used caffeine were 63-percent less likely to crash than those who did not.
In the study, researchers looked at over 1,000 commercial truck drivers, half of whom had been involved in an accident within the last year, and half of whom had not. All of the drivers were long-haul truckers who operated vehicles carrying one to three trailers. Researchers adjusted for factors such as hours of sleep, driver experience, health issues, lifestyle issues, driving distance, and night driving. They also asked each driver to share how much caffeine they had consumed while working over the previous month.
Researchers noted that the findings don’t necessarily mean that truckers should be downing caffeine in large quantities to prevent accidents, but rather that coffee and other similar drinks can help fend off fatigue for short periods of time on a job that can be extremely dangerous due to long hours and sleepiness.
An earlier study also found that shift workers who drank caffeine on the job made fewer errors because they were less drowsy while at work.
For more information on this, or help with your own truck accident issues, contact us today!