Sleep deficiency and driving skills? KRO researches with the help of FPN
On 28 September a new episode of De Monitor appeared. De Monitor is KRO-NCRV’s investigative journalism platform. They investigate societal issues with the help of the public’s knowledge, experience, and input. This episode looked at sleep deprivation in truck drivers.
FPN’s Frederick Vinckenbosch was asked to explain the effects of exhaustion and sleep deprivation on driving skills. The Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience is one of the few places world-wide where this type of research can be done on the public roads. This unique method gives us the possibility to test behaviours in a ‘real’ setting.
Vinckenbosch research focusses on the driving skills of people who take medication that either improves or impairs these skills. Medication such as: sleeping pills (the morning after taking them), anti-depressants, anxiety suppressors, stimulants for people with e.g. sleep apnea and narcolepsy, etc.
Swirving on the road
“The primary value that we measure, is swirving on the road”. These measurements allow us to answer a lot of questions. “It’s important to note that low swirving on the road doesn’t necessarily mean that the driving skills are good enough. To state this, more complex tasks need to be done, but swirving is a sensitive measurement for sustained attention”.
What is more dangerous?
The effect of different legal, and illegal, substances on driving skill is important to know for legislation and enforcement. “But sometimes it’s frustrating,” Vinckenbosch says “we spend a lot of time and effort into researching the behaviour of people, who often don’t have a choice, they have to take these medications. But one of the biggest issues in traffic accidents, is people who are on their phones while driving. This is a much larger and more dangerous group.”
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