How to Identify Fatigued Driving?
3 Answers
Methods to identify fatigued driving: Continuous driving of a motor vehicle for more than 4 hours without stopping for rest or stopping for less than 20 minutes is considered fatigued driving, which is determined through the driving recorders installed in passenger vehicles, heavy-duty trucks, and semi-trailer tractors used for highway operations. Driving fatigue refers to the physiological and psychological dysfunction that occurs after prolonged continuous driving, objectively manifesting as a decline in driving skills. Drivers with poor or insufficient sleep quality and those who drive for extended periods are prone to fatigue. Driving fatigue affects various aspects such as the driver's attention, sensation, perception, thinking, judgment, willpower, decision-making, and movement.
With my twenty years of experience in long-haul trucking, I've learned to identify three critical signs of drowsy driving. First, when you can't hold the steering wheel steady and start drifting out of your lane, that's when your eyelids begin to feel heavy. Second, when your reaction time slows noticeably—like taking two seconds to brake after seeing the car ahead's brake lights. The most dangerous sign is hallucinations, like mistaking streetlights for pedestrians. Once, during an early morning drive, I nearly swerved thinking a shadow from the median barrier was a rabbit. Nowadays, if I've been driving over three hours and even menthol oil can't keep me awake, I make it a rule to pull into a rest area for a cold shower. Installing a fatigue detection system is even safer—its steering wheel vibration alert has saved me five times already.
The in-car DMS (Driver Monitoring System) is highly practical nowadays. I rely on it when driving my new electric car—the infrared camera behind the steering wheel captures blink frequency. Once after working overtime, the system suddenly alerted me about abnormal pupil changes. Upon reviewing the footage, I indeed had my eyes closed for two seconds while passing through a tunnel, and the system immediately flashed a red light and sounded an alarm. More advanced versions can even integrate lane-keeping data, as frequent minor steering adjustments are also signs of fatigue. This technology is more reliable than subjective feelings, and I recommend keeping it enabled for long trips.
