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Volpe Center Highlights - November/December 2003

Safety

Director's Notes | Focus | Safety | Mobility | Human and Natural Environment
Security | Organizational Excellence | Awards | Published and Presented

Evaluating a Drowsy Driver Warning System (NHTSA and FMCSA)

The drowsy driver warning system uses low-level infrared signals (which are not visible) to monitor eye closure.

Every year, thousands of people are injured or killed in vehicle crashes associated with drowsiness. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) are two of the federal agencies that are pursuing ways to reduce drowsy driving. The Volpe Center will evaluate the effectiveness of a commercially available drowsy driver warning system (DDWS) for NHTSA and FMCSA under the DOT's Intelligent Vehicle Initiative Program, which promotes the deployment of advanced technology systems that are proven to be effective in reducing highway vehicle crashes. The DDWS is designed to alert a vehicle operator when it detects signs of drowsiness.

Data to evaluate the DDWS will be collected in a field operational test involving 102 commercial truck drivers from both long-haul and overnight operations. Additional information will be gathered through questionnaires and focus groups. The Volpe team has established five evaluation goals for the project, which will assess:

1. Safety benefits of the device
2. Driver acceptance
3. Performance and capability of the device
4. Deployment prospects
5. Fleet management acceptance.

As the independent evaluator, the Volpe team has been working with the sponsors, the developer of the DDWS, and the systems integrator, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, which will outfit the trucks with the DDWS and collect data. A full-day project meeting at the Transportation Institute in October 2003 included a demonstration of the DDWS, a review of driving data that will be collected during the test, and data-sharing issues. Volpe team members presented their progress in preparing for the evaluation, in particular their work in estimating safety benefits and in developing the experimental design, or research protocol.

The Volpe team includes Dr. Bruce Wilson (principal investigator), Mr. Frank Foderaro, Mr. Greg Ayres, and Mr. Jon LeBlanc, all of the Accident Prevention Division, and Dr. Stephen Popkin and Dr. Heidi Howarth of the Operator Performance and Safety Analysis Division.

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