Queens Truck Accident Lawyers

back to New York Truck Accidents main page

Eye Vision As An Issue For A Truck Crash

Validation of Eye and Other Psychophysical Monitors

This Intelligent Transportation Systems/ Commercial Vehicle Operations (ITS/CVO)-funded effort was managed by the NHTSA Office of Vehicle Safety Research. Under the program, the University of Pennsylvania (UPENN) conducted laboratory experiments to evaluate the validity, sensitivity, and reliability of selected personal (psychophysical) fatigue detection devices and measures, including eye closure measures such as PERCLOS, a measure of eyelid droop identified in earlier NHTSA research as being a promising index of fatigue.

Contact our Queens Truck Accident Lawyers today
for your free case consultation or Call (718) 721-2000.

Other psychophysical measures assessed included two eye blink measures, two electroencephalograph (EEG) measures, and a head movement detector. All measures had some validity, but the results corroborated most strongly the validity of PERCLOS. FHWA and NHTSA believe that PERCLOS is the most promising real-time measure of driver alertness for in-vehicle systems. For assured validity, in-vehicle alertness monitors should measure PERCLOS, PERCLOS correlates (psychophysical or behavioral), or should otherwise be validated in a manner similar to this study.

The final report, Evaluation of Techniques for Ocular Measurement as an Index of Fatigue and the Basis for Alertness Management (NHTSA Report No. DOT HS 808 762, April, 1998) is available from NTIS. A Tech Brief is available from the NHTSA project manager, Dr. Paul Rau, 202-366-0418, or from FMCSA. Follow-up laboratory human factors studies of the driver-vehicle interface for PERCLOS-based in-vehicle alertness monitoring are underway.

Above data as reported from: United States Department of Transportation - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration