2023-05-12 19:28:32
Studies recent from ABRAMET (Brazilian Association of Traffic Medicine) indicate that 60% of road and traffic accidents are caused by fatigue and excessive sleepiness. This year, the Yellow May movement completes 10 years and, to expand the debate on good practices in traffic, the Guanabara group, which operates in road passenger transport, announces the expansion of the sleep medicine program for all drivers and employees of the five companies as of this month of May.
The dangers of drowsy driving are also pointed out by another search, carried out by the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), pointed out that 48% of interstate bus drivers fall asleep while driving and that drowsiness at the wheel is responsible for 27% to 32% of traffic accidents. The results also indicate that between 17% and 19% of deaths in traffic were caused by the same reason. A very common sleep disorder in bus drivers is the Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome, directly related to age and the degree of obesity found in this population. Another factor linked to the causes of accidents is excessive sleepiness, which can be measured through a specific test.
“In the case of professionals who are experts in driving passengers, whose journey is responsibly controlled and within the recommended legal limits, it is believed that sleep disorders play a greater role in accidents that may reach 70%”, explains Letícia Pineschi, director of communication for the Guanabara group. In addition to expanding the program for drivers who transport passengers throughout Brazil, the group will carry out a campaign with passengers, with important messages such as the use of seat belts and the choice of transport that contributes to their safety.
The first regular bus company to adopt the procedure in the Guanabara Group was UTIL, over ten years ago. Later, the companies Sampaio, Brisa, Real Expresso and Fast Federal were incorporated. The next company to be introduced into the program is Expresso Guanabara. An internal survey by the group revealed that 80% of drivers recognized the sleep medicine program as an instrument for improving quality of life and preventing accidents, and 60% of those treated evaluated the benefits of the program for their lives.
What is sleep medicine – Very little is said regarding how the procedure works. The specialist physician, responsible for developing the program, Sérgio Barros Vieira, proposed, at the time of its creation, preventive and educational actions to address drowsiness and excessive fatigue at work for drivers with individual monitoring that would guarantee treatment for those with a sleep disorder (insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, sleep deprivation, sleep paralysis, movement disorders). Exams such as complete polysomnography, multiple sleep latency test (TLMA), maintenance of wakefulness test (TMV) assess breathing dynamics, cardiac variability and the presence of movement disorders. “It is also possible to diagnose excessive sleepiness and, preventively, the VMT is carried out with drivers who work at night, as well as the TLMA with drivers who work during the day”, adds the doctor.
The innovation in sleep medicine was carried out through the maintenance of wakefulness test (TMV). Unlike the test performed before each driver’s working day, the diagnosis of sleep disorders is carried out by all drivers at least once a year. The driver is seated on a chair in a dark room, connected to an electroencephalogram (EEG) device that measures the electrical impulses of the brain, in 5 alternating series of 40 minutes, with an interval of 1 hour and 20 minutes. The Guanabara Group modified the technique by changing the period of the exam and the duration of each stage, as well as implementing five recording stages of the electroencephalogram to assess resistance and tolerance to night work, mainly those with systemic arterial hypertension or those with Diabetes Mellitus of the type II.
For the correct performance of the tests, it is also necessary to install stimulation rooms, along critical mapped routes, equipped with bicycles for professional movement and exposure to lighting for melatonin production. On site, drivers are also available to reduce drowsiness. The process created by Guanabara was verified in other companies by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and was the only program with dynamic methods of the MVT exam.
Campaigns – The professionals responsible for carrying out the sleep medicine program also undergo constant training, carried out in partnership with the Federal Highway Police, addressing other points of recurrent mistakes that cause accidents. All initiatives are intended to educate regarding traffic safety, with direct messages to drivers who eventually repeat fines and infractions. For the passenger, Guanabara will promote campaigns on the bus stations in the main capitals and at ticket sales points with the distribution of graphic material explaining the importance of using safety throughout the trip, among other explanations such as the risks of irregular or clandestine transport. All actions are part of the Yellow May national campaign.
Other items for road safety – “Guanabara has regularly renewed its fleet, which has the shortest useful life on the market. And this is also very important for road safety. All buses are equipped with technology that prevents accidents, such as telemetry for speed control, real-time monitoring of the cabin, traction control that controls the vehicle and an anti-overturn system. Unlike irregular transport, every operation obeys strict and periodic control and inspection routines, considering vehicles and drivers”, concludes Letícia.
The final objective of the regular companies is to reach greater awareness for the reduction of traffic accidents on the roads, which is everyone’s duty: companies, government, pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.
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