P078 “It’s very good but it needs to be better”: Usability and Acceptance of Fatigue Detection Technology in Australia.

INTRODUCTION: Fatigue detection technology (FDT) is commonly used in the Australian road transport industry to monitor and/or detect driver fatigue. These devices typically provide alerts to drivers and their organisation if fatigue is detected and aim to reduce incidences of fatigue-related vehicle crashes and/or improve driver behaviour. The rise of these technologies is generating debate about how their relative design and merit might be evaluated. However, little is known about the experiences of individuals who use FDTs, including perceptions of use, acceptance, and effects on driver behaviour. The Australian Automobile Association funded the research into FDTs from which this presentation draws. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a range of existing users of FDT (n = 28) between November 2022 and June 2023. Participant groups included drivers (n = 17), middle managers and data users (n = 7), and executives (n = 4) from different commercial organisations that were trialling or had adopted FDT. RESULTS: Preliminary thematic analysis has identified a range of factors underlying driver and organisational acceptance of FDTs. These include: data privacy, vendor support, technical merit, training load, intrusiveness, and cost. Drivers perceived their behaviour to be moderately impacted by FDT in positive and negative ways. This included impacts on sleep/wake behaviour, in-cab activities, and driving performance. Certain types of FDT were considered highly contentious by all existing user groups. DISCUSSION: FDT adds further complexity to the contentious topic of fatigue management for professional drivers. Findings highlight a range of implications for FDT adoption and effective evaluation.