The Effects of In-Lane Rumble Strips on the Stopping Behavior of Sleep-Deprived Drivers

This study is the second in a series investigating rumble strips. The objective was to determine the effect of rumble strips on the stopping performance of sleep-deprived drivers. [The study was nested in a larger fatigue study with components unrelated to rumble strips.] The participants were 20 commercial motor vehicle drivers. Each participant was tested over a twenty- hour period, driving in a driving simulator for one hour in the morning, afternoon, evening and at night. During each drive, the participants encountered two stop-controlled intersections-one with rumble strips and the other without rumble strips. The braking pattern of the drivers was affected by the presence of rumble strips- from the appearance of the first set of rumble strips [218 meters (715.2 ft) from the intersection] until the drivers stopped at the intersection. The mean speed of drivers approaching the intersection with the rumble strips was statistically significantly slower than the mean speed for drivers approaching the intersection without the rumble strips. Though sleep deprivation did not affect the driver's braking patterns on the approach to the intersections, it did affect steering variability throughout the course of the drive.