Science says it: what truckers are like and how they live
Feelings, lifestyle and personal organization.
An investigation carried out by the VINCI Autoroutes Foundation for responsible driving determined how truckers behave and how they take care of their health. In order to do so, different aspects of the lives of 515 drivers from 18 countries were analyzed.
It was Patricia Delhomme, research director of the Applied Psychology and Ergonomics Laboratory of the Gustave Eiffel University and Loïc Josseran, of the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and the Raymond Poincaré de Garches Hospital (AP-HP) who carried out this large study with the idea of helping carriers prevent future accidents.
What are the most experienced truck drivers like? The investigation determined that these are people satisfied with their professional life who feel free and need to be independent.
In their jobs they feel limited mainly by the traffic jams that arise on the roads and secondly by the distance they have to endure with their families.
Most of them demand more amenities in the rest areas. The average experience of the respondents was 22 years of work.
Those most exposed to accidents:
Scientists determined that truckers are highly connected. Something that helps them in their safety, but harms them when driving if this connection generates distractions.
More than 8 out of 10 truckers communicate with the Bluetooth system while driving often or very often. In addition, 67 percent adjust or program the radio or GPS, also while driving.
27 percent send text messages or surf the internet. And 26 percent make calls with a hands-free kit.
Heavier the older they are
73 percent of respondents were overweight. However, truckers between the ages of 18 and 24 had a normal body mass index. Those most affected by obesity and overweight were those drivers between 55 and 64 years of age.
They rated themselves as follows about their style of nutrition: 33 percent considered it balanced, 33 percent considered it unbalanced, and 34 percent did not know.
There is more, only 29 percent claimed to practice a sport and most of this percentage was under 25 years of age. With age, according to this study, sedentary lifestyle increased significantly.
An interesting fact: a large part of the drivers who recognized themselves as sedentary or who registered a high body mass index are willing to receive advice and counseling to improve their quality of life.