When a truck driver fell asleep while driving, Professor Toshiaki Shiomi and Associate Professor Hajime Kumagai of the Hiroshima University Graduate School of Medical Sciences analyzed the drive recorder footage immediately before the accident, and found that the driver fell asleep for less than 15 seconds. Turned out to be a microsleep of short sleep.
According to Hiroshima University, the research group analyzed the behavior of the driver immediately before the accident and the situation outside the vehicle every second from the drive recorder video of 52 actual truck driver drowsy driving accidents.
As a result, regardless of whether the accident occurred on a general road or a highway, microsleep frequently occurred immediately before the accident.Furthermore, there was an increase in anti-drowsiness behaviors such as unconsciously touching the face of the driver, a decrease in anti-drowsiness behaviors due to increased drowsiness, an increase in signs of micro-sleep such as the head falling forward, and vehicle behavior abnormalities such as unnatural lane departure. It has also become clear that the situation is changing.
Falling asleep driving accidents by truck drivers often lead to serious accidents, and have become a social problem.Although safety support measures such as collision damage mitigation brakes have evolved, they have not led to the prevention of accidents.Based on the results of this research, the research group says that it is necessary to consider measures to prevent accidents through industry-academia collaboration.
