The anatomy of driver fatigue

January 30, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 09:41 am IST - CHENNAI:

The long hours and lack of adequate drivers are problems many transport corporations continue to face. File Photo

The long hours and lack of adequate drivers are problems many transport corporations continue to face. File Photo

Around 80 per cent of the accidents that take place in the State are caused by human error, according to National Crime Records Bureau statistics. Now, the Government of Tamil Nadu, along with a team from IIT-Madras, is studying driver fatigue among MTC bus drivers to see what can be done to solve the problem.

The team is measuring the driver’s brain and muscle activity to measure cognitive and physical fatigue, which would help them formulate a plan to reduce driver fatigue. This could help reduce the risk of accidents.

Initial findings of the study led by Venkatesh Balasubramanian, professor, department of engineering design, IIT –M, revealed that on the road, many drivers complained of pain in the lower back, specifically the left side.

Also, EEG recordings revealed increased alpha wave activity in the frontal and occipital lobe. “This could indicate a lot of stress and unhappiness,” one of the team members said.

The team also found that most drivers tended to lean further back in their seats when fatigued. The shoulder muscles had a higher rate of fatigue than the other muscle groups measured.

“Earlier, it was difficult to measure these factors objectively. Now, with the data available, it is possible to identify problems that need to be fixed, which could lead to better driver training and vehicle ergonomics,” Prof. Balasubramaniam said.

The long hours and lack of adequate drivers are problems many transport corporations continue to face. “Because of the lack of drivers and the overtime rate being attractive, many drivers opt to work additional hours every day. This has led to a number of problems. We hope that this study will help make work timings better,” an official from the transport department said.

On Thursday, the team organised a meeting with transport officials, Institute of Road Transport, and bus manufacturers.

The government and an IIT-M team are studying driver fatigue among MTC drivers to help solve the problem

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