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Study: pilots, train drivers in US not getting enough sleep
Author: Jonathan Warren
There's a worrying development in the US that is resulting in a lot of nationwide tension: a lack of sleep among state employees, notably pilots, train drivers and bus operators. According to a large-scale study from the National Sleep Foundation, transportation operators are in need of sleep much more than the average American, putting them and their passengers at increased risk.
According to the feedback gained by the study, around 26 per cent of train operators and 23 per cent of pilots explained that insufficient time in their double beds was affecting their job performance on a weekly basis, whereas the same was said among just 17 per cent of non-transport workers.
It gets worse, too - as many as one in five pilots have claimed that they have made a "serious error" or suffered a "near miss" because of fatigue - the same can be said for 18 per cent of train drivers and 14 per cent of those operating HGVs.
David Cloud, CEO of the National Sleep Foundation, said: "The margin of error in these professions is extremely small. Transportation professionals need to manage sleep to perform at their best. As individuals and employers, we need to know more about how sleep improves performance."
