FMCSA Safety and Security Accomplishments

Office of Research and Analysis
Washington, DC
January 22, 2006

Research Division Highlights

Dr. Martin R. Walker
Chief, Research Division

Agenda

• Study Completions
• Completed TRB Synthesis Reports
• Sponsored Research Conferences
• Status of "Major" Ongoing Studies
• Future Research

Truck Driver Fatigue Management Survey

• Identify through experience of "million-milers" best practices for managing fatigue
• Recommendations for best practices:
  • Maintain more predictable and regular work schedules
  • Obtain adequate sleep before driving
  • Take rest breaks and naps to help manage fatigue
  • Recognize the warning signs and risks of drowsy driving
  • Optimize the sleeping environment

Assessment of Revised HOS Rules

• Comparison of the 10- and 11-hours of driving and sleep quantity
  • Assessment of critical incidents (CI) using naturalistic on road data ? dataset included 1.69 million miles of driving data
  • Conclusions:
    • Drivers are getting more sleep under the revised HOS regulations (6.14 versus 5.5 hours)
    • There was no significant difference in CI in the 10th versus the 11th hour of driving
    • Drivers who received less sleep, than their average, were more likely to be involved in an at-fault CI

The 100-Car Naturalistic Driving Study

• Goal: An Analysis of Car-Truck Interactions from the Car Driver's Perspective
  • 100 cars, instrumented with 5 video views captured 9,125 CI
  • Few Car-Truck interactions (2.7%)
  • Most CI caused by car driver (64%)

Sleep Apnea Crash Risk Study

• Goal: Analyze crash risk due to sleep apnea
• UPenn sleep apnea database (406 drivers) was linked to Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS)
• Significant positive relationship between severe sleep apnea and severe crashes
• Overall, sleep apnea in CMV drivers is not a good predictor of crash involvement

Test Dummies' Response in Tractor-Trailer Rollover Crash

• Goal: Collect video and data on test dummies to assess the impact during rollover crash
• Data used to validate NHTSA's crash and injury models

TRB Synthesis Reports

http://www4.trb.org/trb/onlinepubs.nsf

• CMV Driver Fatigue & Driver Health: Research to Support Hours of Service
• CMV Driver Safety Belt Usage
• Motorcoach Industry Hours of Service & Fatigue Management Techniques
• Operational Differences and Similarities Among the Motorcoach, School Bus, and Trucking Industries
• Training of CMV Drivers

Sponsored Research Conferences

• Future Truck and Bus Safety Research
• International Conference on Fatigue Management in Transportation Operations
• 2005 International Truck & Bus Safety and Security Symposium
• Driver Assessment Conference

"Major" Ongoing Studies

• North American Fatigue Management Program
  • Goal: Provide effective driver- and carrier-based measures to enhance highway safety by reducing fatigued driving
  • Implemented within the HOS rules
  • Status:  Phase III (FMP Evaluation) contract awarded in September 2005
• Simulator Training and Validation
  • Goal: Compare simulator technology with conventional training to see if it facilitates and enhances entry-level training and safety 
  • Completed Phase 1, a pilot test which developed and tested principal processes, procedures, and driving scenarios for conducting this study
  • Status: Phase 2, the empirical study, will begin in 2006
• On-Board Monitoring to Improve CMV Safety 
  • Goal: Identify driving metrics where drivers need feedback
  • Result will be the design and development of the monitoring suite, development of a feedback program, and field operational test (FOT)
  • Status:  1st phase to be completed in September 2006; transition to FOT
• Safety Data Feasibility Study
  • Goal: Identify the relative crash risks associated with driver characteristics, including personal data and traits, health, and medical issues, driving performance and experience, and impacts of the work environment
  • Status:  FMCSA is currently receiving proposals for this pilot test

Future Projects

• Assessment of Integrated In-Vehicle Drowsy Driver Measures and Devices
• Driver Fatigue/Distraction Monitoring and Alerting Technology (SBIR project)
• Driver Fatigue Recovery
• Evaluating the Safety Benefits of a Low Cost Driving Behavior Management System
• Improving Heavy Truck Ergonomics to Reduce Fatigue and Improve Driver Health and Performance