Fatigue in Transportation

Driver fatigue is a serious issue concerning almost all areas of fleet or large-scale transportation operations. As in all 24h operations, even when resting times are adhered to, the circadian rhythm and the off duty activities of drivers can result in drowsiness while operating a vehicle. Drowsiness is a strong contributor to heavy vehicle accidents, with the National Highway Transport Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the US estimating 30% to 40% of heavy vehicle accidents to be caused by drowsiness.

Fatigue Facts:

• While accounting for only around 3% of vehicles on the road, heavy vehicles are involved in over 20% of fatal accidents.
• The fatigue metric PERCLOS has been proven to have a 93% correlation with drowsiness.