Truck driver fatigue can present a real danger to people on the roads in Georgia. When truck drivers are too exhausted to drive safely, it could lead to catastrophic accidents. Due to the size, mass and weight of commercial trucks, other vehicles are at a distinct disadvantage in case of a crash. Indeed, truck accidents can be deadly to occupants of smaller cars. Therefore, reducing the threat posed by fatigue is an important issue for improving trucking safety.
Several companies have dedicated themselves to developing technology that could detect truck driver fatigue before it leads to an accident. Trimble Transportation and Pulsar Informatics jointly developed one type of warning system for the trucking industry. Pulsar came to the project with a background in assessing sleep and fatigue issues for other industries where exhaustion is particularly risky, such as aviation and aerospace. Working with its knowledge of sleep in various industries, Pulsar developed an algorithm that measures potential fatigue based on a number of factors, including the hours of service a driver has already worked.
However, an algorithm doesn’t necessarily take into account all of the factors that could affect an individual driver at any given time, especially stresses and activities outside of work. Trimble’s contribution to the system measures driving activity for particular warning signs of fatigue like sudden stops and starts and roll stability alerts.
While technologies are aiming to reduce the risk of truck driver fatigue, drowsy drivers get behind the wheel every day. Trucking accidents can lead to severe injuries and lifelong disabilities, and a personal injury lawyer can help people injured in a crash due to someone else’s negligence to seek compensation for their damages, including medical bills and lost wages.
