Individual chronotypes - that is, whether you are a "morning-type" or an "evening-type", depending on the time of day when your physiological functions are more active - markedly influences driving performance, says a study.
Evening-types are worse drivers - they pay less attention at their "non-optimal" time of day (early in the morning) by comparison with their optimal time (during the evening), the findings showed.
Morning-types are more stable drivers, both in the morning and the evening.
"As scientists we use the simile related with birds - we tend to compare early birds - we call them sky larks - with morning-type people, and night owls with evening-types," explained Angel Correa from the University of Granada in Spain.
For the study, researchers analysed the circadian (biological) rhythms in a sample of 29 participants with extreme chronotypes, selected from a database sample of over 500.
Both the morning and the evening-types were made to drive at 8 in the morning and 8 in the evening. Then they compared their driving performance at their respective optimal and non-optimal times of day.
In the light of the results, businesses should test workers to determine whether they are morning or evening-types and adapt work schedules to suit chronotypes, the researchers said.
The study appeared in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention.
