Driver Fatigue: what we know and what we don't know
Abstract
Sleepiness and fatigue are an everyday experience for all people. In every 24-hour period everybody gets tired and can naturally fall asleep. The problem comes if extreme sleepiness and fatigue are experienced while also doing something safety critical, such as driving. We know a lot about driver fatigue including the type of individual and environment factors which can increase the risk of fatigue. This knowledge helps us to direct our efforts to mitigate the safety impact of fatigue. However, there is a lot we still do not know. This presentation considers some of the lesser talked about areas of driver fatigue, seeking to challenge some of the key stereotypes of what driver fatigue looks like. Keeping an open mind to all aspects of driver fatigue is necessary to advance the field and tackle the future challenges of the persistent problem of driver fatigue.
