Category Archives: Roads Safety

Safer behaviour is required to reduce the number of people killed and injured on our roads every year.

Road Safety and Sleeping Policemen!

Fatigue?

Browsing through my Twitter feed I noted a somewhat worrying exchange between two policing followers. The content reminded me of a personally harrowing event during the 1980′s.

I was single crewed in a police Mini van, during the final couple of hours of a night shift, heading for what I hoped would be the last job of the night. The interior of the windscreen was clad in a thin coating of ice whilst externally, the limp and inadequate wipers were fighting a loosing battle with the blizzard conditions of a midwinter Yorkshire snowstorm. Not even the van heater, something of a misnomer, could make an impression on those freezing conditions.

Suddenly and without any prior warning, I found my van careering towards a large millstone at the side of the road. If not for my shock induced automatism, and a modicum of prompt and nifty driving skill, serious injury or death which had been imminent, was thankfully averted. The millstone may have been placed to support the village nameplate affixed to it however; it was looking like its last job was going to be a tombstone to mark my final resting place… I had fallen asleep at the wheel, an incident which brings me back to that original Twitter exchange.

The most dangerous part of a night shift completed safely. The drive home…(@TheCustodySgt)

@TheCustodySgt Drove mine up the kerb at 40mph two weeks ago. Madness. Slept in a layby for an hour before continuing…(@MentalHealthCop)

During the early part of my police career officers usually worked eight-hour shifts, and in my area, night shifts ran from 10pm to 6am. That said, they still got tired. Officers rarely had rest days cancelled, overtime was limited and in general, they always received 2, 3 or 4 days away from work after working for seven. Many police officers today would see those working conditions and shift patterns as luxury!

Sometimes we were also obliged to work night shifts alone and for me, this particular near death experience was one of those shifts. So what if something went wrong and/or you needed assistance? My nearest colleagues were fifteen or more miles away and, although available via radio, their help was dependent upon me being physically able to use it.

But all those years ago being a cop was (arguably) a lot less dangerous than it is today. There were greater levels of public respect for policing. Communities within our society usually displayed deeper social cohesion and importantly, violent criminality was far less apparent. But despite these factors, you were still often left with no doubt about your ultimate vulnerability

But it’s important to consider today’s working conditions. Massive reductions in staffing levels, extended working hours, regular shift deviations and often, a distinct lack of any real ’recovery time’ between shift patterns. This all means that officer fatigue is probably an even greater issue than it used to be. To be efficient, effective and safe in policing – cops need their rest.

Four in ten police officers suffering from sleep disorders which affects their performance at work…(dailymail.co.uk)

Tiredness and sleep disorders are a dangerous, they can result in drivers falling asleep at the wheel of a motor vehicle. These issues of fatigue on driving have been well documented and often, are also addressed by government led accident reduction campaigns. Despite this, many senior police managers have a tendency to almost belittle any police officer who has concerns about fatigue in the workplace. “What’s up lad? Spent your day off on the piss?”

These are often the same senior officers who agree to government designed and/or sponsored, but often politically motivated, road safety initiatives. They are happy to deplete staff from already woefully short response teams, then dedicate those officers to the campaign purpose. It’s usually just about ticking boxes and rhetorical public relations exercises. Ones which hopefully, will benefit the career prospects of the kudos seeking leadership. Something that in turn, the politicians are more than happy about after all, policing is all about pleasing the electorate, isn’t it?

But it’s interesting how so many road safety practitioners (and police officers) often equate the dangers of motor vehicles to those of loaded guns; in the wrong hands, or an incompetent/impaired set of hands, their use can often be fatal. Perhaps that analogy has finally been inextricably linked by medical evidence?

Union reps, trainers, and human behavior experts who have been campaigning to get police fatigue recognized and addressed as a critical professional and public safety problem have been given an armory of ammunition for their battle by a comprehensive and complex new study of cops and sleeping disorders…(Police Firearms Officers Association)

In December 2011 a study by the American Medical Association (AMA) found that “more than 40 per cent of police officers suffer from sleep disorders.” The researchers (rightly) pointed out that the problem has “serious implications for officers’ health” but, in addition to personal performance issues, this obviously also, “poses a threat to public safety.”

Although the research was based in the USA, this must be indicative of a similar problem in the UK. But nearer to home, statistical research here has shown that “almost 20% of accidents on major roads are sleep-related and that sleep-related accidents are more likely than others to result in a fatality or serious injury” (DirectGov).

For many, in particular those who work night shifts, it should be even more worrying that, the peak period of danger is during the early hours of the morning. As the RAC point out in the following clip, “Tiredness can Kill.”

The following animation, produced by AlphabetGB, a vehicle leasing business and part of the BMW group of companies, is part of their ’Road To Safer Driving’ scheme. These workshops are designed to promote safer driving within their company and those of their customers.

THINK! provides road safety information for road users, on the topic of driver fatigue, the following video is one part of that process.

The Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) also point out in their advice document (INF159) on the subject; ”although all drivers are subject to the pressures of modern life, many drivers are unaware that some medical conditions can also cause excessive sleepiness/tiredness.” Another pertinent and well documented medical condition is Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA).

OSA Facts from the DVLA

OSA is the most common sleep related medical disorder.
OSA significantly increases the risk of traffic accidents.
OSA occurs most commonly, but not exclusively, in overweight individuals.
OSA sufferers rarely wake from sleep feeling fully refreshed and tend to fall asleep easily when relaxing.
Long distance lorry and bus drivers affected by OSA are of great concern as most will be driving on monotonous roads/motorways and the size or nature of the vehicle gives little room for error.
Estimates suggest at least four in every hundred men have OSA. Sleep problems arise more commonly in older people.

If you have any ‘medical condition’ that impacts upon your driving ability, including EDS or OSA, you are legally obliged to inform the DVLA about it.

The issues outlined here have absolutely nothing to do with “fat lazy coppers swinging the lead” – despite what our government would have us believe. However, all the rhetorical retorts from politicians and police leadership on ”doing more with less” could well come to fruition. Stretching the already taught Thin Blue Line to breaking point means something has to give.

Less police officers (working harder for longer) will ultimately result in more illness, more injury and (sadly) more death. Are we really happy about letting these so-called reforms continue?

Note: “Sleep Disorders, Health, and Safety in Police Officers” - Journal of the American Medical Assn (JAMA). A full copy of the 12-page report (see extract) can be ordered as a pdf document for a fee (see here).

40% Of Police Officers Have A Sleep Disorder, US, Canada (medicalnewstoday.com)
Sleep Deprivation May Affect Police Performance, Safety – ABC News (abcnews.go.com)
Coach Tragedy: Strict Rules For Drivers (news.sky.com)
Study: 40 per cent of police officers suffer sleep disorders (time4sleep.co.uk)

Posted in Health & Safety, Management, Police, Roads Safety, Technology

Catching the bus due to Christmas booze?

Dec 16

Posted by Dave Hasney

As Booze Britain stumbles headlong into the festive season at some pace - eating, swearing and drinking to excess – many will try to justify their behaviour by offering up a ”come on it’s Christmas” type of comment. And, whilst feasting on the seasonal pleasures of life, how many people ever spare a thought for the consequences of their ‘celebratory’ revelry?

…festive excitement is swelling to a crescendo, but for some of the country’s most beleaguered workers, today will be the worst day of the year. It is “Mad Friday” – the peak of the Christmas period for alcohol related ambulance call-outs…(The Independent)

Many don’t think at all, it’s a factor highlighted in a recent initiative produced by Devon & Cornwall Police and their partner agencies. The aim of the Don’t leave your brain at home campaign is to “reduce alcohol related crime and disorder” in their region. However, much of the content is not area specific and therefore, the content is wholly applicable to other areas across the country.

In our mostly self-indulgent and self-interested society; few if any will show little or no consideration for the impacts of their actions upon their families or friends, let alone the emergency services and health workers who have to clean up afterwards.

In the capital many end their night by catching a bus, unlike elsewhere there are plenty about, but I’m not talking about the No #69! In London, like several other cities today, they also have the booze bus (see pictures). The ambulance service’s alternative response vehicle, which patrols London’s West End, is busier than ever at Christmas (see here).

In an evening, the booze bus has picked up several young professional women, bankers, businessmen, an ex-marine and a homeless person. A 38-year-old, well-dressed woman with a Cartier watch and Harrods leather coat is ordering the crew to get her a taxi…(The Guardian)

Occasionally, drunks will apologise and thank emergency services staff, if they can actually knit a sentence together. But many will spend their time being abusive and violent whilst covering their helpers in vomit. Despite the disgusting predominance of binge drinking in the UK, Christmas is also the time of the year where the ‘amateur’ drinkers turn out to hit the pubs and clubs in droves, making things even worse.

It’s one of the major reasons why, Christmas has never really been an enjoyable period for me. On the whole these ‘seasonal’ drinkers are often more of a problem than the regular binge drinkers and dealing with them can be a messy, thankless and even a dangerous task at times. For many years these aspects of the festivities have all helped in building up my hatred of Christmas.

Because of this propensity for people leaving their brains at home, the festive season is also marked with the ubiquitous police drink driving campaigns; annual events designed to get drivers to think before they drink. These events, carried out in every police force, form part of the national initiative fronted by the THINK! Drive safety campaign. An initiative run by the government’s Department for Transport.

Some key facts courtesy of drinkdriving.org

On average 3,500 people are killed or seriously injured each year in drink drive collisions.
Nearly one in six of all deaths on the road involve drivers who are over the legal alcohol limit.
Approximately half of convicted drink drivers have blood alcohol levels in excess of 150mg. Around 12 per cent of convicted drink drivers are convicted of a second offence within ten years.
Drinking and driving occurs across a wide range of age groups but particularly among young men aged 17-29 in both casualties and positive breath tests following a collision.
Drink drive accidents can be caused by drivers of all ages, but the highest rates of drink drive accidents per 100,000 licence holders occur in young men aged up to 34, particularly the age group 20-24.
40% of convicted drink drivers have previous convictions for other types of offences, and drink drivers are twice as likely to have a criminal record as a member of the general population of the same age and gender
And if you think you won’t get caught, more than half a million breath tests are carried out each year and on average 100,000 are found to be positive.
There is no failsafe guide as to how to stay under the legal alcohol limit or how much you can drink and still drive safely.
If you’ve been out drinking you may still be affected by alcohol the next day. You may feel OK, but you may still be unfit to drive or over the legal alcohol limit.
Driving or attempting to drive whilst above the legal limit or unfit through drink can lead to imprisonment, a fine of up to £5,000 and a minimum 12 months driving ban.
Being in charge of a vehicle whilst over the legal limit or unfit through drink could result in prison, a fine of up to £2,500 and a driving ban.
Causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison, a minimum 2 year driving ban and a requirement to pass an extended driving test before the offender is able to drive legally again.
An endorsement for a drink-driving offence remains on a driving licence for 11 years, so it is 11 years before a convicted driver will have a “clean” licence again.
Drink driving is a CRIMINAL OFFENCE

With the demise of any decent public transport system outside of the city areas, I can partly understand the need for the car in some areas however, no matter how hard I try, I simply can’t get my head around why anyone would try to drive a car after drinking?

Any amount of alcohol affects your ability to drive – and there is no foolproof way of drinking and staying under the limit…(Read more)

Don’t forget the police also use ‘booze buses’ but theirs are deployed for incarceration and transport of prisoners at times of increased demand during the drunken festivities; which type of bus do you want to catch?

And on a lighter note, a message from a friend…

As the Christmas spirit will be flowing over all the holiday festivities, I thought I would share this important message with you all.

I would like to share an experience with you all, about drinking and driving. As you well know, some of us have been known to have had brushes with the authorities on our way home from various social sessions over the years.

A couple of nights ago, I was out for a few drinks with some friends and had a few too many beers and some rather nice burbon.Knowing full well I may have been slightly over the limit, I did something I’ve never done before – I took a bus home.

I arrived home safely and without incident, which was a real surprise, as I have never driven a bus before and am not sure where I got this one.

Have a safe Christmas!

www.drinkaware.co.uk

Note: Drinkaware is an independent UK alcohol awareness charity that provides consumers with information to make informed decisions about the effects of alcohol on their lives and lifestyles… Don’t Leave Your Brain at Home!