Relationship between Subjective and Interpretive Drowsiness with Lane Departure in Simulator Driving

Background: Driver drowsiness is a significant factor contributing to road accidents and the overall increase in road mortality rates. The objective of this paper is to investigate the relationship between lane crossing, the number of lateral position deviations, and driver drowsiness. The proposed method, due to precision and convenience, has great potential to the developing driver-assistant systems. Material and Methods: In this experimental research, 34 sub-urban bus drivers participated in a two-hour driving session in a simulator designed based on the visual reality. Sensors attached on the steering recorded right and left deviations and relevant information was matched with the receded videos and the amount of the standard deviation of lane position (SDLP). The number of lane crossing was determined with designed indicator on the road software. Then, the association between SDLP and the number of lane crossing were compared with the results of KSS (Karolinska Sleepiness Scale) and ORD (Observer Rating of Drowsiness), which determined the level of drowsiness, by facial features.  Results: The results of MANOVA indicated that time variable has a significant effect on both ORD and SDLP (p <0.05). These two variables provided over 99 percent of the variance. Same results were obtained for KSS and SDLP (p <0.05) and linear combination of these two dependent variables over 12 periods of the research have significant variations, Also, the results show as KSS and ORD progress (p <0.05), the criteria SDLP and LC increase(p <0.05). In the same manner, LC has tight association with the level of drowsiness and other factors (p <0.05).                                                                                                  Conclusion: Drowsiness increases the variation in line tracking. However, it is not an appropriate signal of drowsiness detection. The SDLP and the number of line crossings can considerate to be appropriate criterion to check drivers' performance.

Relationship between Subjective and Interpretive Drowsiness with Lane Departure in Simulator Driving Keywords:

Lane crossing , KSS , ORD , SDLP , Drowsiness , Driving crashes , Transportation safety