Depressed Truckies * Australia - 'As lethal as drunks'

Study: Depressed truckies are as dangerous on the road as drivers with a blood alcohol level over the legal limit

Sydney,NSW,Australia -The Sydney Morning Herald, by Leesha McKenny & Jennie Curtin -June 28, 2009: -- University of Queensland researchers found that unlike stress or anxiety, severe depression in heavy vehicle drivers increased the risk of an accident more than fatigue. "Depressed drivers are equally hazardous as alcohol-impaired drivers," the study said... Based on a survey of 1324 truck drivers, it found many were unaware they were heading off on long-haul trips with the equivalent impairment of a person with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08... The co-author, Michael Hilton, said mental health problems in long-haul truck drivers could be made worse by the lack of access to medical support... Using National Road Transport Commission figures, the study found "there could be 10,950 impaired, at-risk drivers operating heavy machinery at high speeds". One in five deaths on Australian roads involves a truck, Australian Transport Safety Bureau figures show... The Transport Workers Union plans to use the findings to lobby for more government funding for services such as a phone-based mental health line for truck drivers... (Photo: Glenn Campbell - Stressful lifestyle . . . long-haul truckie Steve "Steady" Halse)