FATIGUE IN SIMULATED CAR DRIVING

THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF FOUR HOURS' CONTINUOUS 'DRIVING' IN A CAR SIMULATOR. MEASUREMENTS WERE TAKEN OF: (A) PERFORMANCE (NUMBER OF STEERING ERRORS AND BRAKE REACTION TIME); (B) SUBJECTIVE FATIGUE; (C) PULSE RATE, RESPIRATORY RATE; SKIN RESISTANCE AND NECK MUSCLE TENSION; (D) INTRASUBJECT CORRELATIONS BETWEEN THE LATTER VARIABLES AND PERFORMANCE OVER TIME. AN ADDITIONAL AIM WAS TO STUDY THESE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASURES WHEN THE AROUSAL WAS STIMULATED BY THE PAIRING OF AN ELECTRIC SHOCK WITH STEERING ERRORS. THE EXPERIMENT WAS REPEATED TWICE. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT ALL SUBJECTS HAD A PROGRESSIVE DECREMENT OVER TIME IN PARALLEL WITH INCREASED FEELINGS OF FATIGUE. THERE WAS ALSO A DECREASE IN PULSE RATE AND RESPIRATORY RATE. SKIN RESISTANCE SHOWED CONTINOUS INCREMENT OVER TIME. COVARIATIONS OVER TIME BETWEEN PERFORMANCE VARIABLES AND PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIABLES WERE RATHER HIGH IN MOST INDIVIDUALS; E.G. FOR PULSE RATE WITH FREQUENCY OF STEERING ERRORS, AND EMG WITH FREQUENCY OF STEERING ERRORS. THE EXPECTATION OF AN ELECTRIC SHOCK IN CONNECTION WITH STEERING ERRORS YIELDED HIGHER SUBJECTIVE AND AUTONOMIC AROUSAL, SLOWER PERFORMANCE DECREMENT OVER TIME, AND ALSO LOWERED VARIABILITY, BOTH WITHIN AND BETWEEN SUBJECTS FOR ALL THE VARIABLES RECORDED. /TRRL/

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00140139
• Corporate Authors:

  Taylor & Francis

  4 Park Square, Milton Park
  Abingdon,   United Kingdom  OX14 4RN
• Authors:
  • Dureman, E I
  • Boden, C
• Publication Date: 1972-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 299-308
• Serial:
  • Ergonomics
  • Volume: 15
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: Taylor & Francis
  • ISSN: 0014-0139
  • EISSN: 1366-5847
  • Serial URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/terg20

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Driver performance; Drivers; Fatigue (Physiological condition); Medical examinations and tests; Personnel performance; Simulation; Testing
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00222287
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-012 136
• Files: HSL, TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 14 1973 12:00AM