The objective of this investigation was to explore a potential correlation between lorry drivers' working conditions, other work-related factors and accident risk. The underlying hypothesis was that lorry drivers are often exposed to great working pressure, which increases their accident risk. The results are based on interviews among accident and control drivers during an eighteen months period. By comparing response distributions among the two driver-groups, the importance of the investigated factors on accident risk was calculated. The most unambiguous result is that the youngest drivers have a considerably higher risk than older drivers do, and that the most inexperienced, irrespective of their age, also turn out to have a significantly higher risk. Another general and surprising feature is that the drivers only to a modest extent state that their working conditions are stressed or harasses. Generally, the hypothesis that a high pressure leads to a higher accident risk was not confirmed. Other results revealed correlation between transport characteristics and accident risk. For instance, it turns out that transport by hauliers is associated with a higher risk than transport by companies, that articulated vehicles have a higher risk than other vehicle types and that local knowledge decreases accident risk. (A)
Abstract