The Sleepy Driver

One of the most frequent road crash causes is being fatigued or falling asleep while driving. A review of research on driver sleepiness incidence, precursors, and consequences is presented in the paper. During the last 12 months, approximately 10% of Norwegian drivers reported falling asleep while driving. A driver falling asleep or driver fatigue caused about eight percent of road crashes involving injuries. Dependent on type of accident and study, estimates differ somewhat. On average, crashes with a sleep-related component are more serious than crashes caused by other factors, since often they occur under relatively high speed conditions, such as on rural roads without heavy traffic. Driving off the road is the most frequent sleep-related crash type. While driving, males who do not have driving experience and are young are more likely to fall asleep. Some kind of sleep problem was reported by about 40% of fatigue-related crash involved drivers. While some drivers have reported falling asleep without noticing fatigue symptoms, most are aware of early signs before falling asleep at the wheel. Few drivers actually stop to have a nap when they feel sleepy during driving, but most know this is the most effective countermeasure.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/18245463
• Authors:
  • Sagberg, F
• Publication Date: 2008-7

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 17-26
• Serial:
  • Advances in Transportation Studies
  • Volume: 15
  • Publisher: University Roma Tre
  • ISSN: 1824-5463
  • Serial URL: http://www.atsinternationaljournal.com/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Countermeasures; Crash causes; Crash severity; Crashes; Driver errors; Drivers; Sleep deprivation
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driver fatigue; Falling asleep at the wheel
• Geographic Terms: Norway
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01111071
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Sep 24 2008 10:38AM