Work-related safety incidents among driver license examiners

Abstract

Driver license examiners serve as the first line of defense against unsafe drivers and driving practices. Nonetheless, these examiners themselves are exposed to high levels of safety risk as they test new drivers – with limited driving proficiency and experience. A deeper understanding of the safety incidents that driver license examiners experience can inform the development of effective injury prevention policies and interventions. Towards achieving this goal, the current study focused on performing exploratory content analyses of safety incident reports maintained by the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV) that involved driver license examiners. Apart from demonstrating that numerous incidents are experienced during driving tests, the five key findings include the following: (1) The most common event types that driver license examiners experience are collision with fixed object, overexertion and physical bodily reaction, and collision with another vehicle; (2) The most common contributing factors are failure to maintain control of vehicle and incidents experienced while examiners are exiting the vehicle; (3) Most incidents that result in injury involve injuries to multiple body parts, followed by injuries to the back, leg, and neck; (4) The most common injury types are strain, sprain, and bruising and contusion; (5) The injury outcomes are medical case, permanent disability, report only, and temporary disability. The results also reveal particular relationships that are overrepresented in the incident reports. For example, collision with fixed object is associated particularly with failure to maintain control of vehicle. The findings can inform future efforts that seek to reduce injury rates among driver license examiners.