Driver fatigue has been identified as the number one cause of truck crashes in the US, and the most important single safety issue facing the industry. The Transport Committee's Inquiry into Truck Crashes concluded that it was a largely unrecognised problem in New Zealand, but might well be a significant contributor to crashes, comparable to alcohol and excessive speed. There is no simple measure of fatigue impairment, equivalent to a blood alcohol test, and it is likely that the true contribution of fatigue to truck crashes is currently underestimated. Of the 370 heavy motor vehicle crashes attended by the NZ Police Commercial Vehicle Investigation Unit (CVIU) in 1997, driver fatigue was listed as a contributing factor in 25 (7 percent). Fatigue was indicated by the attending officer ticking a box. The CVIU is now implementing a comprehensive method for analysing for driver fatigue, based on an approach developed by the National Transportation Safety Board, and adapted for BP Oil NZ Ltd. The method examines factors known to produce fatigue-related performance impairment, including steep loss, the time of day of the accident, driving hours, and the types of human error that contributed. This paper reviews the scientific basis of the method, and how it will be applied. (A)
Abstract