Literature review of driving fatigue research based on bibliometric analysis

Driving for a long time can lead to fatigue, which can affect information processing and decision-making, potentially threatening driving safety. By exploring the generation and variation patterns of driving fatigue and clarifying the application status of its detection and warning technology, traffic safety can be improved. In order to understand the research progress of driving fatigue, based on the Web of Science core database, this paper obtained 2127 English literature published from 1998 to 2023 (as of May 12, 2023), covering a total of 5963 authors and 6019 keywords, and the bibliometric tool VOSviewer and R-Bibliometrix are used to analyze the literatures. Firstly, the literature statistical analysis is carried out from annual distribution, country distribution, source journals, and core authors. Secondly, the research hotspots and trends are analyzed from keywords co-occurrence, high-impact literature, theme evolution, and development trends. Finally, the development trend of driving fatigue research is discussed. The result shows that the hotspots in the field of driving fatigue include driving fatigue detection, fatigue driving risk and fatigue research of professional drivers, driver alertness and coping strategies for driver fatigue, and driver fatigue under automatic driving. And the improvement of the accuracy and reliability of driving fatigue detection will be the difficult point to break through in the future. It is necessary to build a multi-disciplinary and meticulously quantified driving fatigue and its risk assessment system, and strengthen the control of fatigue risks. Research on intervention measures and education training for professional drivers needs to be deepened, while exploring the acceptance and compliance of intervention measures. Moreover, the evolution law and prevention strategies of driver fatigue under automatic conditions should be the focus of future research. • Bibliometric analysis on the field of driving fatigue was conducted using VOS viewer and R-Bibliometrix technology. • Literature statistical analysis was conducted from annual publication, country distribution, source journals, and core authors. • Keyword co-occurrence analysis, co-citation analysis, literature influence analysis, and theme evolution analysis were conducted. • The cutting-edge and hot research on driver fatigue was identified.