Introduction

Abstract

Driver fatigue is a major issue in road transportation. In Germany, 48,324 accidents were registered in 2008 in which trucks were involved (Federal Statistical Office, 2010). The Federal Road Research Institute (Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen) estimates that 19 percent of the serious truck accidents in Germany are caused by driver fatigue (Federal Road Research Institute, 2006). According to a representative study by the International Road Transport Union which was commissioned by the European Community (EC), overfatigue and falling asleep is the cause in approximately 18.6 percent of single truck accidents, i.e. accidents in which no other party is involved (International Road Transport Union, 2006). The European Commission even estimates driver fatigue to be a significant factor in approximately 20 percent of all heavy commercial vehicle crashes (European Commission, 2010). Recent studies on road safety show that after four hours of continuous driving, the accident risk is doubled, and after eight hours of continuous driving it is even ten times higher (Goudswaard et al., 2006).