A TEST TO MEASURE ABILITY TO MAINTAIN ALERTNESS AND ITS APPLICATION IN ASSESSING THE AUTOMOBILE DRIVER
THE VARIATIONS IN THE ABILITY TO REMAIN AWAKE AND BE ALERT IN THE ADULT DRIVER POPULATION IS A PROBLEM. A TEST IS PROPOSED USING INFRARED PUPILLOGRAPHY, WHICH APPEARS TO BE SENSITIVE AND CAPABLE OF DETECTING FUTURE SLEEPY DRIVERS AS WELL AS SLEEPY DRIVERS PRESENTLY LICENSED. THE TEST IS BASED ON THE FINDING THAT, WHEN A PERSON IS ALERT HIS PUPILS ARE LARGE, AND WHEN HE IS ASLEEP THEY ARE SMALL, AND WHEN HE IS TIRED, DROWSY OR VERY SLEEPY THEY ARE INTERMEDIATE IN SIZE. ALSO, WHEN THE PUPILS BECOME SMALLER AS WAKEFULNESS DECLINES, CHARACTERISTIC PUPILLARY WAVES APPEAR. THE TEST IS PERFORMED IN TOTAL DARKNESS AND PUPIL SIZE IS RECORDED BY INFRARED PUPILLOGRAPHY. THE SUBJECT LOOKS AT A DISTANT TARGET FOR TEN MINUTES. WAKEFULENSS WAS CLASSIFIED INTO FIVE DIFFERENT LEVELS BASED ON THE RELATIVE DECREASE IN THE DIAMETER OF THE PUPIL COMPARED TO ITS MAXIMAL SIZE IN DARKNESS WHEN THE SUBJECT IS ALERT. THE TEST IS CONDUCTED DURING TEN-MINUTES. PUPILLOGRAPHIC DATA ARE PRESENTED FROM A DOZEN SLEEPY DRIVERS WHO ACKNOWLEDGE THEY ARE HAZARDS ON THE HIGHWAY BECAUSE OF THEIR INABILITY TO MAINTAIN ALERTNESS. ALL ARE LICENSED TO DRIVE WITHOUT RESTRICTIONS. EXAMPLES ARE PRESENTED OF SLEEPY DRIVER TESTES AND ACCIDENT RECORDS SHOWN. THE TWELVE CASES ARE PRESENTED OF LICENSED DRIVERS WHO FAILED THE TEST; THEY PROPOSED TO DEMONSTRATE ABILITY TO MAINTAIN REASONABLE ALERTNESS IN A NON-STIMULATING ENVIRONMENT. IT WOULD BE BETTER TO DETECT INABILITY TO MAINTAIN ALERTNESS AND CORRECT IT, PRIOR TO LICENSING. HOWEVER, EQUIPMENT FOR TESTING IS NOT READILY AVAILABLE AND IT IS COSTLY. IT IS HOPED THAT SOME DAY ALL MOTOR VEHICLE OPERATORS ON PUBLIC HIGHWAYS WOULD BE REQUIRED TO DEMONSTRATE THEIR ABILITY TO MAINTAIN ALERTNESS TO AN ACCEPTABLE STANDARD JUST AS THEY ARE NOW REQUIRED TO DEMONSTRATE VUSUAL ACUITY AND A KNOWLEDGE OF THE RULES OF THE ROAD.
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Supplemental Notes:
- Pp269-292, 18 FIG, 1 TAB, 9 REF
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Authors:
- Yoss, R E
- Publication Date: 1969-10-16
Media Info
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Alertness; Driver licensing; Drivers; Infrared analysis; School children; Size; Sleep; Testing; Vision
- Old TRIS Terms: Driver restriction; Driver vision; Pupils
- Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00220945
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS
- Created Date: Jul 21 1970 12:00AM