A framework for countermeasures design to support professional drivers' fitness-to-drive.

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Road Safety Engineering
• Transportation Science

Background:

• Professional drivers are crucial for transportation networks but face significant job demands.
• Driver impairments can compromise safe driving, necessitating effective countermeasures.
• Existing countermeasure development lacks a structured, systematic approach.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel conceptual framework for developing countermeasures to support fitness-to-drive in professional drivers.
• To introduce a stepwise methodology for populating this framework.
• To enhance driver health and road safety through structured countermeasure design.

Main Methods:

• Development of a conceptual framework with three time points: Operational, Tactical, and Strategic.
• Application of the framework across multiple system levels (driver, manager, enforcement).
• Pilot testing of the framework with autonomous shuttle, taxi, and garbage truck drivers.

Main Results:

• The conceptual framework and stepwise approach were successfully developed and populated.
• Pilot testing demonstrated the framework's applicability across diverse professional driving contexts.
• The structured approach provides a systematic method for countermeasure design.

Conclusions:

• The proposed framework offers a structured approach to countermeasure development for professional driver fitness-to-drive.
• This methodology has the potential to significantly improve driver health and road safety.
• The framework's successful pilot testing validates its practical utility and broad applicability.