Feature

Preventing serious crashes arising from driver distraction and fatigue

Asignificant percentage of serious crashes are attributed to driver distraction and fatigue, and the issue is growing such as with the emergence of increasingly complex driving aids and technologies. The Safe Systems road safety paradigm [Marsh] requires alternatives to be considered across all pillars of the Safe System (Road Safety Management, Safer Roads and Mobility, Safer Vehicles, Safer Road Users and Post-Crash Response). Much research has been undertaken in the countermeasures to driver distraction and fatigue relevant to the Safer Road Users pillar. Workgroup 3 of TC 3.2 has been tasked with investigating driver distraction and fatigue with the emphasis being on the road engineering response. This article summarises the key insights so far.