The Effect of Sleep Deprivation on Driving Performance Sleep deprivation is caused by having insufficient sleep and results in reduced alertness, decreased performance and deterioration of health (Abrams, 2015). The effects of sleep deprivation on driving performance has been researched by many psychologists to observe the potential effects sleep deprivation could have on driving performance (Jung et al., 2010). This essay will argue that the effects of sleep deprivation decrease driving performance. This will be shown through evidence from two experimental studies. The first study shows how sleep deprivation leads to driving performance as poor as that of a driver with an above legal Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) (Williamson & Feyer,
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This makes the results of the study able to be generalised to the population and therefore more affective in supporting the thesis which is general to all drivers. Another strength of this study is the use of a cross over randomised control design. By using the same participants under different conditions the results of the trial are made more accurate because the variable of different subjects was controlled. This also makes the data more reliable and more accurate in being able to support the thesis. A limitation of the study was the assumption that performance on the tests could be equally compared to driving performance. These tests measure performance on skills which are often used whilst driving, but it cannot accurately be stated that the effect that sleep deprivation had on the tests will be exactly the same when applied to driving performance. Without actually testing a person’s ability to drive a vehicle under these conditions, it is not entirely reliable to say that sleep deprivation will affect driving in the same manner as it effected the tests. Another limitation of this study is the gender difference in the sample. The sample contained roughly 5% females and 95% males. A Reimers & Maylor study in 2006 shows how gender affects reaction time differently. As the study tested reaction time and also other tests whose …show more content…
The study assessed the useful visual field (the area around the point of visual fixation) of nine 40-51 year old subjects (older drivers) and ten 18-30 year old subjects (younger drivers) during simulated driving. These participants undertook two one-hour simulated driving sessions in which their useful visual field was assessed in a performance based test. The effects of sleep deprivation were assessed in these two sessions with the first being after an average night of sleep for the participant, and the second after no sleep for the entire night. The level of sleep during the average night of sleep was monitored with an acti-meter that was worn by the subject. The test involved the subject being in a car simulator where they were instructed to follow a vehicle and stare at a coloured circle on the rear window of the vehicle. When the subject noticed that the circle changed colour they had to immediately press a joystick to indicate this. Their speed and accuracy of pressing the joystick was measured. These results were then compared with the different ages and different levels of sleep deprivation. The results showed that sleep deprivation caused a significant decrease in the percentage of correct responses and that this percentage decreased even further as the duration of the study increased. The study concluded that peripheral
This makes the results of the study able to be generalised to the population and therefore more affective in supporting the thesis which is general to all drivers. Another strength of this study is the use of a cross over randomised control design. By using the same participants under different conditions the results of the trial are made more accurate because the variable of different subjects was controlled. This also makes the data more reliable and more accurate in being able to support the thesis. A limitation of the study was the assumption that performance on the tests could be equally compared to driving performance. These tests measure performance on skills which are often used whilst driving, but it cannot accurately be stated that the effect that sleep deprivation had on the tests will be exactly the same when applied to driving performance. Without actually testing a person’s ability to drive a vehicle under these conditions, it is not entirely reliable to say that sleep deprivation will affect driving in the same manner as it effected the tests. Another limitation of this study is the gender difference in the sample. The sample contained roughly 5% females and 95% males. A Reimers & Maylor study in 2006 shows how gender affects reaction time differently. As the study tested reaction time and also other tests whose …show more content…
The study assessed the useful visual field (the area around the point of visual fixation) of nine 40-51 year old subjects (older drivers) and ten 18-30 year old subjects (younger drivers) during simulated driving. These participants undertook two one-hour simulated driving sessions in which their useful visual field was assessed in a performance based test. The effects of sleep deprivation were assessed in these two sessions with the first being after an average night of sleep for the participant, and the second after no sleep for the entire night. The level of sleep during the average night of sleep was monitored with an acti-meter that was worn by the subject. The test involved the subject being in a car simulator where they were instructed to follow a vehicle and stare at a coloured circle on the rear window of the vehicle. When the subject noticed that the circle changed colour they had to immediately press a joystick to indicate this. Their speed and accuracy of pressing the joystick was measured. These results were then compared with the different ages and different levels of sleep deprivation. The results showed that sleep deprivation caused a significant decrease in the percentage of correct responses and that this percentage decreased even further as the duration of the study increased. The study concluded that peripheral