Project Fatigue 2.0

Problem ‚Fatigue at the steering wheel‘

Up to one quarter of all accidents on German streets are caused by fatigued drivers. Fatigue-related accidents also cause particularly high personal and material damages. New kinds of assistance systems (fatigue warning systems) are designed to warn the driver when he reaches a critical fatigue level; the problem, however, is how one can determine the level of fatigue in a preferably reliable way.

The HFC Fatigue scale

On the occasion of test drives with night vision devices, HFC has developed a measure to assess the state of the test drivers in order to timely abort the tests if the participants reach dangerous levels of fatigue.  This method is based on the observation and evaluation of behavioral indicators that are connected to fatigue and that can be reliably identified by trained observers. The HFC Fatigue Scale turned out to be highly reliable and dependably applicable.

Expert ratings nowadays are considered to be the method of choice if it comes to a differentiated assessment of the complete array of fatigue; a gold standard for fatigue assessment, however, does not exist.

Advancement to the Fatigue Scale 2.0

As market leaders in the field of fatigue assessment our experts could still identify a few weaknesses of the HFC Fatigue Scale, that were eliminated through further development. These improvements particularly affect the following aspects:

• States of low fatigue / high activation now can be differentiated better and more reliably ,
• Description with the help of 9 behavioral indivators now works out more sophisticated and more precise,
• A new logging concept based on MS Excel template simplifies and accelerates the assessment,
• The rating process was re-specified and improved.

As a result, the overhaul of the HFC Fatigue Scale significantly improved the quality of the assessment.

• The HFC Scale 2.0 is the only fatigue scale that can be used for both self and foreign assessment.
• 9 sub-scales (gaze and eye closure, facial expressions, actions, etc. ) with nuanced observation criteria are the basis of the global fatigue assessment.
• The verbal rooting of the 9 levels of activation and fatigue ensure an easy learnability.
• The Scale produces highly consistent ratings across different experts.
• Quality assurance and regular corrective trainings ensure a sustainably high rating validity.

Fatigue Assessment as a service

We offer you support for all phases of development

Data Collection

• Test drives in the field and the simulator
• Driving teachers accompany real-life test drives
• Data recording: behavioral and physiological measures, video of the driver
• Self-assessment of the driver's fatigue via HFC Scale 2.0
• Self-assessment and foreign assessment during the drive

Analyses and Evaluation

• Fatigue assessment conducted by two independent experts
• Logging and interpretation of secondary and tertiary criteria
• Self-assessment, indirect and physiological measures (i.e. steering angle, EOG, saccade analysis)
• Validation of assistance systems
• Testing the reliability and precision
• Identification of the ideal warning threshold(s) in regard to compliance and acceptance

Trainings