Blood Parameters of Drivers and Road Accidents: A Study of Heavy Vehicle Drivers in Tehran, Iran, 2018

Taking the drivers' health into account from different perspectives is important. This study aimed to examine how heavy vehicle drivers' blood parameters are related to their road accident risk.

A descriptive study was conducted among 200 drivers of heavy vehicles. The blood parameters were determined based on the medical records of drivers, as well as data on accidents, demographics, and occupational factors reported in a standardized questionnaire assessing the safety of drivers. The examined drivers' blood parameters included markers for white and red blood cells, platelets, hemoglobin, fasting blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglyceride. Nonparametric statistical tests and logistic regression were used to analyze the data by SPSS-v.21.

Mean and standard deviation of age, BMI, and daily working hours of drivers were 47.5±9, 27.9±2.99, and 10.66±2.52, respectively. Most drivers were normal in terms of white and red blood cells, hemoglobin, and platelet, while 22.5%, 29%, and 26% were suffering from abnormal conditions in terms of fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, and triglyceride, respectively. A study of the impact of blood parameters on accidents revealed that red blood cells, fasting blood sugar, and triglyceride levels were significantly different in three groups of drivers with different numbers of accidents and near-misses. Based on the logistic regression analysis, the number of cigarettes per day, age, exercise hours, and blood hemoglobin contributed to accidents.

This study supports the concept that blood parameters, such as hemoglobin, fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, and triglyceride, can influence the safe performance of drivers and road accidents.