Comparison of reaction time, distraction and fatigue in the drivers involved in accidents and normal drivers

The aim of this research was to compare the reaction time, distraction and fatigue factor between two groups of drivers with accidental experience and no accident experience. Method of research was ex-post facto and statistical population were all drivers with accidental experience who referred to traffic centers and drivers with no accident experience, among them two groups of thirty were selected with the use of simple random sampling. Assessment tools consisted of Reaction Chronoscope (Dunders, 1968), Toulous-Pieron's Distraction Test (Pieron, 1986), and Fatigue Test (Krupp et al, 1989). Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Results showed that average of feet and hand reaction time is significantly higher in the accident-experienced drivers than no accident experience drivers (P<0.01). Also distraction and fatigue was higher in the accident-experienced drivers than drivers with no accident experience (P<0.01).