This report was commissioned by VicRoads to investigate the extent to which fatigue may contribute to motorcycle crashes. The project reviews the research into fatigue and road safety since the 2001 publication of the National Transport Commission report Fatigue Expert Group: Options for Regulatory Approach to Fatigue in Drivers of Heavy Vehicles in Australia and New Zealand, with particular emphasis on motorcyclists. The report outlines how fatigue affects motorcycle riders, its probable contribution to motorcycle crashes and the crash risk for motorcyclists of fatigue. The review reveals that most recent driver fatigue research can be categorised into the following categories: · investigations of the role of fatigue in road crashes · studies of how to measure fatigue in crashes · studies of how to detect fatigue · studies regarding the nature of fatigue · studies that examine the effectiveness of fatigue countermeasures and · studies that examine fatigue in relation to specific populations. Overall, it appears that over the past five years research has continued to refine knowledge in regard to the nature of fatigue and its effects upon driving. However, the increased focus upon the development of fatigue detection technologies and further countermeasures is probably the most noteworthy aspect of recent developments in pragmatic terms. Continued focus upon ‘at risk’ populations is needed. In this regard, little is currently known about fatigue in relation to motorcyclists. Our review of the literature relevant to fatigue in motorcycling has identified a number of factors that appear to increase or decrease the role of fatigue in motorcycling. In general, there is a lack of good scientific investigation of these factors in specific regard to motorcycling and the likely extent of their importance. (Author/publisher)
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