The aim of the study is to identify and model the role of payment incentives, driver work-rest patterns and other lifestyle habits influencing the drowsy driving behavior among long-haul truck drivers. To achieve this aim, this study targeted two main objectives: (1) to examine the significant differences between the groups of drowsy and non-drowsy drivers based on the opportunities of monetary incentives and (2) to examine the role of different factors: driver demographics, work-rest patterns, lifestyle and occupational characteristics particularly incentives associated with driving in causing driver sleepiness among Indian truck drivers. The study is based on interview responses from 453 long-haul truck drivers approached in three Indian cities-Mumbai, Indore and Nagpur. Initial principal component analysis of the responses related to financial incentives (occupational characteristics) resulted into two correlated factors: (i) willingness to earn extra payments if offered (WEP) and (ii) incentives available in the current driving experience (ICD) that influence driver work-rest patterns and alertness while driving. Kruskal-Wallis test showed a significant difference among the groups of sleepy and non-sleepy drivers due to these factors (WEP and ICD). Finally, a logistic regression model showed that long driving duration, working days per week, rest patterns, insufficient sleeping hours and history of violations were found significantly associated with drowsy driving among the long-haul truck drivers. Increase in consumption of caffeine and tobacco indicated reduction in driver alertness. According to the model results, the odds of drowsy driving were 77% less for drivers between 46-55 years compared to the young drivers (<25 years). Driving under the influence of financial incentives was observed to increase the odds of falling asleep by 1.58 times among the truck drivers. This was apparently the most interesting and intriguing result of the study indicating the need for further research on the influence of financial or socioeconomic motivations to sleepiness.

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Objective: Vehicle automation shifts the driver's role from active operator to passive observer at the potential cost of degrading their alertness. This study investigated the role of an in-vehicle voice-based assistant (VA; conversing about traffic/road environment) to counter the disengaging and fatiguing effects of automation. Method: Twenty-four participants undertook two drives-with and without VA in a partially automated vehicle. Participants were subsequently categorized into high and low participation groups (based on their proportion of vocal exchanges with VA). The effectiveness of VA was assessed based on driver alertness measured using Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS), eye-based sleepiness indicators and glance behavior, NASA-TLX workload rating and time to gain motor readiness in response to take-over request and performance rating made by the drivers. Results: Paired samples t-tests comparison of alertness measures across the two drives were conducted. Lower KSS rating, larger pupil diameter, higher glances (rear-mirror, roadside vehicles and signals in the drive with VA) and higher feedback ratings of VA indicated the efficiency of VA in improving driver alertness during automation. However, there was no significant difference in alertness or glance behavior between the driver groups (high and low-PR), although the time to resume steering control was significantly lower in the higher engagement group. Conclusion:The study successfully demonstrated the advantages of using a voice assistant (VA) to counter these effects of passive fatigue, for example, by reducing the time to gain motor-readiness following a TOR. The findings show that despite the low engagement in spoken conversation, active listening also positively influenced driver alertness and awareness during the drive in an automated vehicle.

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