Unless waste truck drivers take measures to get adequate sleep, the return of the NFL season may translate to higher risk of collisions on their routes. This, according to Lytx, Inc., a global leader in video telematics, which found a spike in drowsy driving incidents among waste drivers at the return of televised NFL games in a four-year look-back at driving behavior in the waste industry.
The Lytx DriveCam video safety program is used by many of the major national waste companies as well as dozens of municipal waste fleets across the country. In analyzing behaviors among drivers of 33,000 private waste vehicles from 2012 – 2016, the company noticed spikes in drowsy driving-related collisions and near-collisions on the Monday and Tuesday mornings following Sunday and Monday night televised NFL games compared to the rest of the year.
The 2016 NFL Season Was Particularly Risky
From 2012-2016, the August – November time frame, on average, saw a 53 percent increase in drowsy driving/falling asleep driving events over the rest of the year. Mondays and Tuesdays during the August - November time frame, on average, showed a 78 percent increase in drowsy driving/falling asleep driving events over the rest of the year.
Evaluating 2016 on its own, however, showed an even greater spike. August – November 2016, on average, showed a 112 percent increase in drowsy driving/falling asleep driving events among waste drivers over the rest of the year, while Mondays and Tuesdays during those four months saw, on average, a 170 percent spike.
“This study tells us that waste companies would benefit from encouraging their drivers to get more sleep on football nights,” said Lytx Chief Client Officer Dave Riordan. “Since the start of football season coincides with the onset of back-to-school schedules, drivers are doubly-challenged to get a good night’s rest.”
“Waste drivers have one of the toughest jobs in America, and on top of a strenuous work day, they tend to have very early shifts, heading out to make their rounds before the sun’s come up,” said Darrell Smith, president and CEO of the National Waste and Recycling Association. “Combine that with a late night of watching football, and the risk of drowsy driving is predictable – but solvable.”
