March 2003

- by Brian Byrne

Monotony causes driver fatigue - study

27 March 2003: Monotonous roadside environments can lead to a greater degree of drowsiness and lack of vigilance by drivers, according to a new study carried out by the Center de Recherche sur les Transports at the Universite de Montreal.

A driving simulator study was conducted in order to evaluate the impact of the monotony of roadside visual stimulation using a steering wheel movement (SWM) analysis procedure.

Fifty-six male subjects each drove during two different 40-min periods. In one case, roadside visual stimuli were essentially repetitive and monotonous, while in the other one, the environment contained disparate visual elements aiming to disrupt monotony without changing road geometry.

Driving performance was compared across these conditions in order to determine whether disruptions of monotony can have a positive effect and help alleviate driver fatigue.

Results reveal an early time-on-task effect on driving performance for both driving periods and more frequent large SWM when driving in the more monotonous road environment, which implies greater fatigue and vigilance decrements.

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