The Effects of Rest Breaks on Driver Fatigue

Driver sleepiness contributes substantially to road death and trauma. Effective countermeasures to reduce driver sleepiness are critical to reducing the incidence of driver sleepiness. Study one determined the effectiveness of a nap break and an active rest break. It was found that a nap break provided objective benefit for reducing driver sleepiness. Study two examined drivers’ ability to recognise increasing sleepiness, and to self-regulate their behaviour by taking a break. The results suggest that drivers were able to identify increasing sleepiness during the test period, and could make the decision to cease driving. However, the ability among participants to identify their increasing sleepiness varied. Strategies to improve perception, detection and mitigation of sleepiness while driving should be pursued.

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