In-vehicle filming of driver fatigue on YouTube: vlogs, crashes and bad advice
Keywords: Driver Risk & Behaviour
ACRS
Submission Date: 2015 Conference: ARSC
Abstract
Background: Driver fatigue contributes to 15-30% of crashes, however it is difficult to objectively measure. Fatigue mitigation relies on driver self-moderation, placing great importance on the necessity for road safety campaigns to engage with their audience. Popular self-archiving website YouTube.com is a relatively unused source of public perceptions._x000D_
_x000D_Method: A systematic YouTube.com search (videos uploaded 2/12/09 – 2/12/14) was conducted using driver fatigue related search terms. 442 relevant videos were identified. In-vehicle footage was separated for further analysis. Video reception was quantified in terms of number of views, likes, comments, dislikes and times duplicated. Qualitative analysis of comments was undertaken to identify key themes._x000D_
Results: 24.2% (n=107) of relevant uploaded videos contained in-vehicle footage. Three types of videos were identified: (1) dashcam footage (n=82); (2) speaking_x000D_
directly to the camera – vlogs (n=16); (3) passengers filming drivers (n=9). Two distinct types of comments emerged, those directly relating to driver fatigue and_x000D_
those more broadly about the video or its uploader. Driver fatigue comments included: attribution of behaviour cause, emotion experienced when watching the video and personal advice on staying awake while driving._x000D_
Discussion: In-vehicle footage related to driver fatigue is prevalent on YouTube.com and is actively engaged with by viewers. Comments were mixed in terms of criticism_x000D_
and sympathy for drivers. Willingness to share advice on staying awake suggests driver fatigue may be seen as a common yet controllable occurrence. This project provides new insight into driver fatigue perception, which may be considered by safety authorities when designing education campaigns