Detection and analysis of commercial drivers’ focus and attention using sensors and simulators

The commercial driver profession – operators of trucks, busses and other specialized vehicles is a hazardous one. People in these positions are required to possess a high level of awareness, to have quick reactions to changes on the road, to be able to adapt, maintain and repair the vehicle if necessary. Professional drivers sometimes have to drive long routes, even when they are paired with another colleague. Sometimes, situational and spatial awareness must always be kept in high regards, despite factors, such as fatigue, sleep deprivation, dizziness, nausea, etc. In this study, we try to analyze and evaluate professional drivers’ performance, simulating some of those extreme conditions. Performing such an experiment in a real-world scenario is dangerous, financially intensive and generally undesirable. That is why, in order to perform our experiment, we use a Euro Truck Simulator 2 and the Varjo VR with integrated tracking sensor, in order to record and evaluate where the driver’s eyes are focused during operational procedures and how their awareness changes with time, fatigue and other limiting factors. As a result, we found out that a large percentage of all evaluated drivers tend to lose focus on the road, pay less attention on the gauges and truck instruments and tend to cause more incidents.