Research carried out by the Universitys Institute for Transport Studies is laying the foundations for safer driving by identifying easily installed, cost-effective ways of tackling driver fatigue.
Driver fatigue - including instances when drivers fall asleep at the wheel - is thought to be responsible for 20% of all road accidents in the UK. "Typically, these incidents involve a lone male driver who veers off the road sometime between 2am and 8am without braking. Older men are also at risk of fatigue between around 1pm and 4pm - the 'post lunch dip," explained senior research fellow Dr Natasha Merat, who led the study.
Funded by the UK Highways Agency, the research used the University's driving simulator to assess the effectiveness of three simple road-based devices to increase driver alertness during a long, monotonous drive; rumble strips, chevron road markings and variable message signs. These were tested on two groups of drivers at times when they are known to be most at risk of falling asleep behind the wheel: male night-shift workers aged 26 to 44, and older men aged 45 to 65.
"Previously, the focus has been on encouraging drivers to drink coffee before they set off or take a 20-minute nap if they start to feel tired when driving. This study took a different approach, making the road environment itself more stimulating to reduce the monotony of driving for hours at a time," explained Dr Merat.
The study used eye-tracking technology to measure driver fatigue before, during and after each encounter with one of the three devices. Only the rumble strips helped to alert the older drivers, but all three had a significant effect in keeping the shift workers more alert. In both cases, erratic driving also reduced and lane positioning became steadier after encountering the road measures.
"Whilst the onus of safe driving still remains with the driver, these preliminary results suggest that implementing such measures on sections of road known to be hot spots for fatigue-related accidents may be beneficial," says Dr Merat. "The Highways Agency is currently considering the implementation of some of these measures in sections of A roads known to be hot spots for fatigue-related accidents."
Dr Merat is currently conducting an evidence-based review of fatigue-related accidents for the Department for Transport (in collaboration with TRL and Clockwork Research).
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