Driver Vigilance Devices
Adam Whitlock, John Pethick, Ann Mills · 2017
Railway vigilance devices measure frequency of actions taken by the driver to monitor for loss of driver function. Drivers are said to respond to these types of vigilance devices in an automatic manner as a result of driver habituation or prediction, which can significantly reduce the effectiveness of monitoring devices. D. Porter identified key skills that train operators require to perform train driving tasks: the ability to remember and recall information, fast reaction time, precision control skills, and the ability to maintain vigilance and concentration. The data collected indicate that driver readiness can be rated as follows: the driver is incapacitated/asleep/dead, the driver is alive, but drowsy or not sufficiently alert, and the driver is sufficiently alert, but is not attending to the train operating tasks. The vigilance device for drivers database contains information regarding devices that are either currently available to procure, in prototype or testing phase or in design or concept phase.