Study of the Microsleep in Public Transport Drivers

Abstract

The article elaborates upon a study of the phenomenon of microsleep in drivers operating means of collective public transport on a regular basis. The microsleep phenomenon has been observed as a rather common one among drivers in general, however, in the case of professional drivers operating public transport lines, this is particularly dangerous. The consequences it may trigger are not limited to traffic accidents, but may even include road traffic disasters. The study addressed in the article was conducted using the eye tracking technique supported by auxiliary testing apparatus, including systems of the authors’ own design and make. The study was conducted in operation of different means of collective transport on public transport lines in Poland. In one case, microsleep was studied in a driver of the EN57 passenger train, while the second case studied was that of a driver of the Solaris Urbino bus. The data retrieved from the measurements were processed using the SMI BeGaze 3.4 software. Results of the studies, subsequently processed in statistical terms, were used to formulate operational conclusions concerning the microsleep phenomenon and to define specific recommendations for drivers of means of collective public transport based on such grounds. The article also touches upon the matter of the values of parameters characterising the phenomena of microsleep and blinking, as previously commented in the literature of the subject.