title: Continuing to drive while sleepy: the influence of sleepiness countermeasures, motivation for driving sleepy, and risk perception.
abstract: Driver sleepiness is a major contributor to road crashes. The current study sought to examine the association between perceptions of effectiveness of six sleepiness countermeasures and their relationship with self-reports of continuing to drive while sleepy among 309 drivers after controlling for the influence of age, sex, motivation for driving sleepy, and risk perception of sleepy driving. The results demonstrate that the variables of age, sex, motivation, and risk perception were significantly associated with self-reports of continuing to drive while sleepy and only one countermeasure was associated with self-reports of continuing to drive while sleepy. Further, it was found that age differences in self-reports of continuing to drive while sleepy was mediated by participants' motivation and risk perception. These findings highlight modifiable factors that could be focused on with interventions that seek to modify drivers' attitudes and behaviours of driving while sleepy.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety - Queensland, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, K Block, 130 Victoria Park Road, Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia. Electronic address: christopher.watling@qut.edu.au.
authors.forename: Christopher N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Watling
authors.affiliation: Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety - Queensland, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, K Block, 130 Victoria Park Road, Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia.
authors.forename: Kerry A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Armstrong
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology and Counselling, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Australia.
authors.forename: Patricia L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Obst
authors.affiliation: Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety - Queensland, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, K Block, 130 Victoria Park Road, Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia.
authors.forename: Simon S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001290:Attitude; D001315:Australia; D001334:Automobile Driving; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D010465:Perception; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012737:Sex Factors; D012894:Sleep Stages; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Australian drivers; Driving motivation; Risk perception; Sleepiness countermeasures; Sleepy driving