How novice and expert drivers adjust their driving behavior when they feel drowsy?

This paper aims to explore adaptive behaviors developed by drivers to prevent drowsiness. Specifically, we postulate that driving expertise is associated with better drowsiness awareness, allowing experts to adequately adjust their driving behaviors when they feel drowsy. The present study was carried on a high-fidelity driving simulator coupled with an innovative system allowing objective sleepiness assessment based on EEG and Eye-tracking data. The Karolinska Sleepiness Scale was used to evaluate subjective drowsiness. The ratio between objective and subjective assessments gave an indicator of drowsiness awareness. Standard Deviation of Lateral Position (SDLP) was used as a measure of performance while driving speed and ocular fixations were recorded in order to highlight adaptive behaviors. 16 subjects were recruited from general population and categorized in two groups of expertise based on the Belgian Institute for Road Safety’s criteria. Our results show that expert drivers show better drowsiness awareness than novices and mobilize speed increasing and vigilance reallocation strategies to maintain satisfactory level of drowsiness.