A total of 67 Metrobus drivers were caught sleeping on camera while driving their buses on local roads in a 19-month period, according to data obtained by The Washington Examiner .
And one of them was caught dozing while driving twice within six months.
The incidents all occurred while the operators were behind the wheel of their moving buses, as the cameras are triggered to record the drivers only when a sudden bus movement such as hard braking, swerving or a crash occurs. The drivers were filmed with their eyes closed, nodding or sleeping between August 2010 -- when Metro started installing the cameras -- through Feb. 24, 2012, three days before The Washington Examiner requested the data.
| How the cameras work |
| The cameras that caught the sleeping Metrobus operators constantly film drivers yet preserve the recordings only when the vehicle makes an unusual move, such as braking too hard, accelerating too quickly or hitting something. The cameras capture the eight seconds before the event that triggers it, then four seconds after. |
The numbers represent a small fraction of the total number of operators and drives made around the region, but the cases highlight the ongoing safety problem of fatigue among Metro workers.
