Research on Maximum Driving Time Based on Driving Fatigue Model from Field Experiment

Driving fatigue is a major safety issue in transportation field. Many countries have enacted corresponding laws on driving time, but the duration is fixed. In this study, 19 middle-aged drivers (14 males and 5 females) are recruited to participate in the field experiments, considering the different starting driving time, all the subjects are divided into three groups, start driving in the morning, afternoon and night. Each group completes the same driving route. During all experiments, the reported Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) of drivers are recorded every 5 minutes by same observer, and the KSSs are converted into consecutive fatigue values by cubic spline interpolation. Eliminating the influence of circadian rhythm and sleep, the driving fatigue prediction models vary only with Driving Time are obtained. Finally, for the drivers who start driving in the morning could only drive 3.36 hours, and drivers can only drive 3.06 hours when they start in the night. The fatigue prediction model could be further used to evaluate the risk period before each driving schedule, and optimize the schedule to avoid fatigue driving and guarantee the transportation safety.