The impact of heart rate-based drowsiness monitoring on adverse driving events in heavy vehicle drivers under naturalistic conditions

Wolkow AP 1 , Rajaratnam SMW 1 , Wilkinson V 2 , Shee D 3 , Baker A 4 , Lillington T 4 Show all authors , Roest P 4 , Marx B 4 , Chew C 3 , Tucker A 1 , Haque S 5 , Schaefer A 3 , Howard ME 6

Affiliations 

  • 1 Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, 18 Innovation Walk, Clayton, VIC, Australia
  • 2 Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Austin Health, 145 Studley Road, PO Box 5555, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia
  • 3 Neurobusiness Behavioural Laboratory, Monash University Malaysia, Building 6B, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 4 Shell International, Carel van Bylandtlaan 16, The Hague, the Netherlands
  • 5 Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Psychology, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, 47500 Bandar Sunway, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
  • 6 Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, 18 Innovation Walk, Clayton, VIC, Australia; Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Austin Health, 145 Studley Road, PO Box 5555, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia. Electronic address: mark.howard@austin.org.au
Sleep Health, 2020 06;6(3):366-373.
PMID: 32340910 DOI: 10.1016/j.sleh.2020.03.005

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the influence of a wrist-worn heart rate drowsiness detection device on heavy vehicle driver safety and sleep and its ability to predict driving events under naturalistic conditions.

DESIGN: Prospective, non-randomized trial.

SETTING: Naturalistic driving in Malaysia.

PARTICIPANTS: Heavy vehicle drivers in Malaysia were assigned to the Device (n = 25) or Control condition (n = 34).

INTERVENTION: Both conditions were monitored for driving events at work over 4-weeks in Phase 1, and 12-weeks in Phase 2. In Phase 1, the Device condition wore the device operated in the silent mode (i.e., no drowsiness alerts) to examine the accuracy of the device in predicting driving events. In Phase 2, the Device condition wore the device in the active mode to examine if drowsiness alerts from the device influenced the rate of driving events (compared to Phase 1).

MEASUREMENTS: All participants were monitored for harsh braking and harsh acceleration driving events and self-reported sleep duration and sleepiness daily.

RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in the rate of harsh braking events (Rate ratio = 0.48, p 

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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