Conference Proceeding

Effects of Lane Departure Warning on Drowsy Drivers' Performance and State in a Simulator

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Abstract

Driver drowsiness is a major cause of severe accidents, many ofwhich involve a single vehicle lane departure. The objective of the experimentdescribed in this paper is to determine the relationships between drowsiness, lanedeparture events (LDE) and effects of a warning system. While in case of driverdistraction the impact of such a warning system can be tested in real traffic, forreasons of safety (and reproducibility), a laboratory-based driving simulator isbeing used in this project. The experiments were conducted with a cohort of 63healthy male subjects aged 22 to 27 driving for about 2.5 hrs in a stimuli-deprivedscenario with a six-fold repetition under carefully controlled conditions. Severalhundreds micro-sleep episodes were identified in the 53 successful trials byelectrooculogram and video signal and confirmed by behavioral analysis; morethan 800 lane departure warnings (LDW) occurred in the assisted sub-cohort of 17drivers. A combined analysis of the LDE with and without LDW showssignificant reduction in number, time, departure length and out-of-lane area forthe assisted subjects. The timing and design of the warning could furthermoreprevent almost 85% of the lane departure events caused by sleepiness.

How to Cite:

Rimini-Doering, M. & Altmueller, T. & Ladstaetter, U. & Rossmeier, M., (2005) “Effects of Lane Departure Warning on Drowsy Drivers' Performance and State in a Simulator”, Driving Assessment Conference 3(2005), 88-95. doi: https://doi.org/10.17077/drivingassessment.1147

Rights: Copyright © 2005 the author(s)