Distraction and Drowsiness in Motorcoach Drivers

https://doi.org/10.21949/15026512016PDFTech ReportFMCSA-RRR-15-017Bus driversCommercial driversDrowsinessDriver distractionHuman factors in crashesExtraboardsMotorcoachbusnaturalistic drivingdistractiondrowsinessUnited StatesUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Office of Analysis, Research, and TechnologyHammond, Rebecca, L.Hanowski, Richard J.Miller, AndrewSoccolich, SusanFarrell, Laura J.Virginia Tech Transportation InstituteUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Office of Analysis, Research, and TechnologyUnited States Federal Motor Carrier Safety AdministrationDespite the large number of motorcoaches in the United States, there has been limited research on motorcoach operations. With more than 15 billion miles traveled per year and the transport of millions of people, crashes, when they occur, can involve multiple injuries and deaths. Driver error is often cited as a factor in these crashes, with distraction and drowsiness being primary concerns. The current study analyzed naturalistic driving data from two motorcoach fleets, 43 instrumented motorcoaches, and 65 drivers. Data analyzed for this study were collected from May 2013 to July 2014. The data set produced 1,086 valid safety critical events (SCEs) events, including 17 crashes. To support the analyses, 4,600 baseline epochs (normative driving) were identified and coded. Four sets of analyses focused on the following: \u2022 Secondary and driving-related task engagement. \u2022 Environmental conditions. \u2022 Eye glance analyses. \u2022 Drowsiness. Task types with the highest risk (odds ratios) were: reaching for an object; external distractions; and a novel distraction for motorcoach drivers, intercom use. Very few SCEs were coded with high drowsiness. This study provides needed insight into motorcoach operations, but additional studies are needed to further investigate domain-specific issues.84