However, young drivers, senior drivers, and nighttime drivers also all had higher odds of being involved in more severe crashes and in performing unsafe maneuvers prior to a crash or near-crash. Nighttime drivers seemed to be most at risk for these, and they were linked to having more than 5 times greater odds of unsafely maneuvering their vehicles prior to getting into a crash or near crash (AOR = 6.71, P less than .05).
“This is a strong piece of evidence that nighttime driving is less safe than daytime driving and limiting amount of nighttime driving could be one method to moderate road risk for some individuals,” the authors wrote.
The study’s limitations include its observational nature, low numbers of participants with several of the sleeping disorders (at levels below the disorder’s prevalence in the general population), and the complexities involved in what causes a crash or near crash.
One limitation of this study was that sleep hygiene and sleep quality were not examined, even though these might contribute significantly to roadway safety, the researchers noted. This study also did not take into account what medications or other treatment (such as continuous positive airway pressure for those with sleep apnea) the participants might be receiving for their condition.