title: Sleepiness, attention and risk of accidents in powered two-wheelers.
abstract: In recent years, the role of "sleepiness at the wheel" in the occurrence of accidents has been increasingly highlighted with several national and international public health campaigns based on consensual research publications. However, one aspect of this phenomenon is rarely taken into account, i.e., the risk of sleep-induced accidents while riding powered two-wheelers (PTWs). PTWs are indeed involved in a high percentage of fatal accidents mostly with young male riders. The effects of sleepiness may be different in drivers and riders, partly because riders may be stimulated more by the road environment. But riders (differently from drivers) have also to maintain continuously a balance between their own stability and the need of following the road, even when they are directly exposed to adverse climatic conditions. We, therefore, gathered the limited scientific literature on this topic and tried to analyze how riders may be affected differently by sleepiness. Finally we provide some suggestions as to how this question may be better approached in the future.
authors.affiliation: French Armed Forces Biomedical Research Institute (IRBA), Fatigue and Vigilance Team, Brétigny-sur-Orge, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, EA 7330 VIFASOM Sommeil-Vigilance-Fatigue et Santé Publique, Paris, France. Electronic address: clement.bougard@irba.fr.
authors.forename: Clément
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bougard
authors.affiliation: INSERM, U1075 COMETE, Caen, France; Normandy Univ., Caen, France.
authors.forename: Damien
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Davenne
authors.affiliation: IFSTTAR, COSYS/DIR, Marne-la-vallée, France.
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Espie
authors.affiliation: INSERM, U1075 COMETE, Caen, France; Normandy Univ., Caen, France.
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moussay
authors.affiliation: Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, EA 7330 VIFASOM Sommeil-Vigilance-Fatigue et Santé Publique, Paris, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, APHP, Hôtel Dieu, Centre du Sommeil et de la Vigilance, Paris, France. Electronic address: damien.leger@htd.aphp.fr.
authors.forename: Damien
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Léger
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009049:Motorcycles; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012307:Risk Factors; D012892:Sleep Deprivation
keywords: Accident; Powered two-wheelers riders; Prevention; Sleep debt; Sleepiness