Woken by Rumble Strips. Reports from Drivers Who Have Fallen Asleep at the Wheel

Rumble strips are seen as systematic interventions that can help prevent lane-departure accidents. There is little evidence, however, for how or even whether rumble strips intervene to prevent fatigue-related accidents. The authors therefore asked drivers who actively recalled falling sleeping behind the wheel about their interactions with rumble strips. The authors analyses show that real-world driver experience supports claims that rumble strips act by reducing the severity of the consequences of fatigued-driving. Most notable the authors found that significantly fewer sleep-behind-the-wheel incidents resulted in road departure accidents where rumble strips were present.