Asleep at the wheel: Elite athlete testing may help reduce work-related crashes
Special biometric vests normally used by elite athletes have been earmarked for a Griffith University study to monitor how fatigue can impact the driving behaviour of professional drivers.
School of Medicine and Dentistry Dr Caroline Robertson said the project has received nearly $200,000 in federal government funding to conduct a research trial.
Fatigue is a major road safety issue contributing to between 30-50% of road crashes according to data from the Australian Transport Council. Work driving is identified as a significant road safety issue due to the over representation of work-related driving crashes.
In terms of fatalities, work-related road traffic crashes are the leading cause of occupational death with 3 out of 4 fatalities involving a vehicle.
Vehicle collisions by work related vehicles also contributed to 65% of bystander fatalities.
“So far, 40 drivers from Bingo Industries and Toll Group are wearing the Hexoskin biometric vests for a total of six days – five of those are while driving and one of those is a day off,” Dr Robertson said.
“The vests will measure heart rate and breathing responses giving us an indication of how stressed or tired they are.
“We then overlay this data with other psychological and in-vehicle data, to form a picture of what is happening when a driver is fatigued.
“In vehicle data will look at markers such as lane positioning, distance from other vehicles and steering wheel angle.”
The research is the first to tackle psychological, physiological and in-vehicle data monitoring predictors of fatigue in professional drivers.
Griffith University identified a need to research all three factors simultaneously as they all independently contribute to fatigue behind the wheel.
The aim of this research is to establish a safe driver profile to help reduce in-vehicle incidences related to fatigue. The results will enable professional drivers and their organisations to significantly mitigate fatigue driving risks. The data we collect will be used to model a safe driver profile.
Dr Robertson said once the data has been compiled and analysed it will be used to inform companies of which factors contribute most to fatigue.
“We want people to be informed and know what to look for before they even get behind the wheel of a truck so potentially fatal incidents can be prevented.”
