Search

From our previous research among bus drivers, in difficult, but not extreme situations, we observed an increase in blood pressure (up to 200mm Hg), cardiac arrhythmias, ischemia, etc. Such reactions may be dangerous to healthy people, but they are extremely risky for drivers with a history of cardiovascular or cerebrovascular incidents. Thus, certifying driving ability of such persons is a serious problem for the medical expert. In this case, tests in a driving simulator, where it is possible to arrange a variety of stressful situations and also to monitor the reaction of the cardiovascular system and brain electrical activity may be a great advantage. Therefore we developed a first-in-Poland integrated system for examination and training of road vehicle drivers, including model stand for simulating of driving vehicle under conditions of road traffic, and a set of methods of psychological and physiological tests to be applied for testing drivers. This simulator enables to assess physiological response to different traffic situations, to analyze the effects of work environment on psychical and physical abilities of drivers, to test the feasibility of the physiological methods for assessing the fatigue and drowsiness, to evaluate the effect of monotony and static loads on the development of driver's fatigue, to assess changes in psychomotor abilities of drivers resulting from exposure to harmful and noxious agents at workplace.

A group of professional bus drivers have done two rides on a city bus simulator – the fist one into the city centre and the other one in the suburbs. One dangerous incident was simulated during each ride. The visual strategy was evaluated by the FaceLab system comprising two pairs of cameras, one facing the road and the other to the left side. The main selected criteria of the visual strategy included the number and duration of gaze fixations. Furthermore, eyelid movements (PERCLOS index) and pupil diameter were recorded. The results were subjected to a statistical analysis.