Assessing Drivers’ Fatigue State Under Real Traffic Conditions Using EEG Alpha Spindles

The effectiveness of EEG alpha spindles, defined by short narrowband bursts in the alpha band, as an objective measure for assessing driver fatigue under real driving conditions was examined using an algorithm for the identification of alpha spindles. The method is applied to data recorded under real traffic conditions and compared with the performance of the traditional EEG fatigue measure alpha band power. Statistical analysis revealed significant increases from the first to the last driving section of alpha band power; with larger effect sizes for the alpha spindle based measures. An increased level of fatigue for drop-outs, as compared to participants who did not abort the drive, was observed only by means of alpha spindle parameters. EEG alpha spindle parameters increase both fatigue detection sensitivity and specificity as compared to EEG alpha band power. It is demonstrated that alpha spindles are superior to EEG band power measures for assessing driver fatigue under real traffic conditions.