Effects of Driver Fatigue and Road Curvature on Steering Wheel Angle

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of a simulator study that examined the effects of driver fatigue and road curvature on steering wheel angle. Twenty participants took part in this research, and each participant drove in two sessions, alert driving session and fatigue driving session. Throughout the driving task, the steering wheel angle, roadway scene video, and participants’ face video were recorded. According to Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) score and road curvature, steering wheel angle data were classified into six categories. Three metrics including mean steering wheel angle, standard deviation of steering angle, and coefficient of variation of steering angle were proposed and evaluated to each category. The results revealed that road curvature was the main factor of the change of steering wheel angle and driver fatigue had significant effects on steering wheel angle only on the straight road.