There are many factors affecting the health of Taxi Drivers. Some of these may be beyond our control, but many can be influenced by sensible self-management.
It is these factors that you can control that are focused on in this Section.
They include:
In all of these areas this Section provides general information only. If you have any health problems or suspect you may, you are strongly advised to seek professional medical guidance.
Taxi Drivers have to be very careful that they do not rely only on 'convenience' type foods or takeaways while they are working. Generally it is better to have regular nutritious meals and avoid unplanned snacking.
Healthy weight range charts can be obtained from your doctor or health department. Particular attention is paid to your Body Mass (weight to height ratio) during your compulsory medical examinations as a taxi driver. If you are overweight you should consider losing weight as obesity can be related to many health problems, such as heart attacks and major sleep disorders (Sleep Apnoea). Since most taxi drivers' working time is spent sitting, it's important to get adequate exercise to lose weight.
Since taxi drivers spend most of their working time sitting their opportunities for exercise while working are limited. It is therefore important that drivers balance this with regular exercise. Exercise, if carried out properly, can increase health and fitness. It's also a good idea to get out of the taxi-cab when you take regular breaks and walk around and stretch.
Fatigue or over tiredness can be deadly for a Taxi Driver! It's one of the most common contributing factors to motor accidents. Get regular sleep and plenty of it. Take breaks. Be careful of medications that cause fatigue. Take exercise to keep fit and reduce fatigue. Seek help if needed.
Smoking can affect the length of your life and it's quality. Smoking has been implicated as a factor influencing heart disease and stroke. It can also contribute to lung cancer and emphysema. As a Taxi Driver it is particularly tempting to smoke to while away the time between fares. Remember it is against Regulations for anyone to smoke in a Taxi. Cutting down or giving up smoking is not always easy if you're addicted. Most doctors and local health authorities can give you advice.
It is, of course, illegal to drive if your blood alcohol exceeds the prescribed amount. If you lose your driving licence you also lose your source of income so be very sensible. Remember that alcohol levels can stay in the blood for many hours so that you shouldn't go out drinking late at night and then drive early next day. Alcohol even within legal limits slows your reflexes and can be a contributing factor in causing drivers to become drowsy.
When alcohol is taken in combination with certain medications this can affect driving ability. Always check with your doctor or pharmacist and always read the labels carefully. Some medicines should not be taken at all when driving. Obviously illegal drugs can affect driving performance and relations with passengers and should be avoided by the professional taxi driver.
Being under stress can have different symptoms for different people. Being worried a lot, getting irritable, feeling tense can be signs of stress. Some stress isn't always a bad thing. Problems come when we get so stressed it affects our performance. Some factors affecting stress identified by Taxi Drivers include: difficult customers; other road users who are thoughtless; worry about money; tiredness. Are you affected by any of these in a stressful way?
There are many ways of dealing with stress. Some approaches suit some people better than others.
Here are a few approaches:
Have you tried, or should you try, any ways to deal better with your stress?
If you have a bad shift driving make sure you don't take your bad mood home with you. Don't transfer any stress and anger from the work situation to your dealings with family and friends. Separate your work from your home and social life.
At the end of the day draw an end to your working day, perhaps by making a quick plan for what you will do tomorrow.
Also remember not to take personal problems from home or friends into your work situation. Develop a positive attitude to work. Remember that the attitude and effort you put into your work will largely create what you get out of it.