Distraction in Shift-Workers During Naturalistic Driving

Driver drowsiness is a significant public health problem and has previously been linked to an increase in driver distraction. This relationship has yet to be examined under naturalistic driving conditions, where task demands may differ from lab-based experimental studies. Through the use of a continuous driver monitoring system, shiftworkers (N=20) were observed on their commutes to and from work. Preliminary findings showed that measures of visual distraction increased significantly with drowsiness. Additional ocular metrics will be explored in subsequent analyses. This study presents a world-first application of continuous monitoring of behavioural and physiological signals associated with distraction in real-world driving.