ABSTRACT
Most jurisdictions throughout the world have regulations which limit driving hours for drivers of heavy vehicles. The regulations commonly include a limitation on the maximum number of hours that can be driven per day or per week and specifications relating to rest periods. The findings of fatigue research can be used to design driving hours regulations to maximize road safety benefits, but road safety is only one of a number of issues affected by driving hours regulations. Examination of crashes had shown a number in which the driver had fallen asleep when driving after a day’s work, sometimes after only a short period of driving. Much to the annoyance of many truck and bus drivers, driving hours regulations apply only to heavy vehicle drivers. Systems for the detection of driver fatigue can be considered as a possible future alternative to driver working hours regulations, at least to the extent to which such regulations are designed to ensure safety.
