1 LIFESTYLE PATTERNS AS PREDICTORS OF DROWSY DRIVING IN THE CAPITAL AREA OF GREECE Tzamalouka Georgia 1 , Christakis Nicolas 2 , Papadakaki Maria 1 , Kontogiannis Thomas 3 , Darviri Christina 4 and Chliaoutakis Joannes 1 1 Department of Social Work, Technological Educational Institute of Crete 2 Department of Psychology, Panteion University of Athens 3 Department of Production Engineering and Management, Technical University of Crete 4 Department of Health Visiting, Technological Educational Institute of Athens Abstract Background. Although past research has shown that ‘lifestyle’ is related to car crash risk, the relationship between lifestyle and drowsy driving has not been extensively explored. The aim of this study was to examine possible links between different lifestyle patterns and drowsy driving. Methods. Personal interviews were conducted in a representative sample of 640 adults (19-65), all residents of Athens. Drowsy driving behaviour was measured by 8-items referring to situations of fatigue while driving in the 12 months preceding the study. Similarly, lifestyle was assessed by a 26-items questionnaire referring to various daily activities of the respondents. The sociological and driving profile of the respondents was also taken into account. Results. Principal component analysis of the lifestyle items produced five factors, which should be considered as five different lifestyle patterns: “Amusement”, “Culture”, “Religion”, “Sports” and “Yuppie’s lifestyle”. The stepwise multiple regression analysis suggested that drivers with “athletic” and “entertaining” lifestyle patterns have a tendency to drive drowsy. Similarly, drivers with a lower involvement in “religion” lifestyle are more likely to drive drowsy. With respect to the socio-demographic and driving profile of the drivers, those who reported working in the sector of services were more likely to drive drowsy. Conclusion. Road safety campaigns must advise drowsy-prone drivers to avoid driving while been fatigued and choose alternative ways of transportation. More comprehensive and elaborate lifestyle assessments are needed to provide a better understanding of the impact of the way people live on their driving behaviour. Key words: Road Safety, Lifestyle, Drowsy driving, Fatigue, Religion