Tactics suggested for drivers

Benjamin Grove

Friday, Sept. 7, 2001 | 4:44 a.m.

Experts say bus companies and government regulators should use a host of tactics to reduce bus driver fatigue, including:

Technology. National Transportation Safety Board officials advocate requiring bus companies to use in-bus technology to analyze bus driver performance.

Many modern buses already have computers that record bus trip information primarily used by mechanics. But officials say supervisors should use the information -- data about braking, acceleration, gear-shifting, steering and speed -- to evaluate drivers and look for patterns that indicate drowsy driving.

Drowsy-driving detectors. As many as 100 researchers and inventors are reportedly at work on a device that could be mounted on or in a bus dashboard that scans a driver's eyes for signs of drowsiness, Richard Grace, a Carnegie Mellon University scientist, said. In partnership with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Grace has developed the "Copilot," a machine roughly the size of a rearview mirror that beeps and lights up when a driver's eyelids droop.

The device, which is a year or two from sale, might sell for between $800 and $1,000 a unit, Grace said.

Shrewd scheduling. Bus companies can do more to maximize their scheduling and use of drivers, some consultants said. Massachusetts-based Circadian Technologies Inc. is working with Greyhound Lines Inc. to create scientifically developed schedules and conduct sleep personality profiles of drivers. "Management has to understand this is an issue they have to address -- not the driver," Dean Croke, a company director.

Education. Many experts believe the bus industry needs sharper, relentless education campaigns that hammer messages about the importance of sleep and a host of other issues that affect fatigue, including nutrition and exercise.

"This is not a one-time-and-done education process," Carmen Daecher of the Pennsylvania-based Daecher Consulting Group said. "What happens over time is that we tend to lose the message and revert back to bad habits."

Sun librarian Rebecca Bagayas contributed to this article.