Evaluating Automatic Braking Mechanisms for Reducing Driver Fatigue in Low‐Speed Traffic Conditions: A Systematic Review

Traffic delays are a common challenge for drivers in large cities worldwide. During these delays, drivers must maintain a safe distance from nearby vehicles while avoiding collisions with pedestrians and motorcyclists. This needs frequently alternate pressing and releasing the brake and accelerator pedals, preserving low speeds. Research indicates that this repetitive action can contribute to driver’s fatigue, which is worse for manual vehicles. Other factors, such as inadequate sleep, prolonged driving, monotonous driving conditions, and heavy workloads, may also induce fatigue, further leading to ignorance of the correct seating posture, which can exacerbate the issue. Studies on driver fatigue and its prevention have been widely conducted by scholars and automotive‐based industries, focusing on two subject matters: (i) driver fatigue detection systems using various technologies and (ii) fatigue prevention techniques incorporating autonomous braking systems for high‐speed and long‐distance driving. This paper focuses on extensively reviewing both subject matters, leading to the best proposed solution that can prevent fatigue from happening during road traffic delays at low‐speed driving, as limited studies were found that can suit the traffic and social environment in developing countries, i.e., Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Clearly, the latter subject area focused on incorporating autonomous braking systems in the electronic control unit (ECU) of vehicles, applicable only for high‐end vehicles, thus limiting accessibility. This technology can either reduce the physical effort of pedal pressing or take over the task altogether. The review will examine various causes of fatigue and the existing detection methods, compare the automatic braking solutions’ features, and propose a suitable mechanism that could benefit drivers of all types of vehicles, especially from low‐ to middle‐end vehicles, which addresses the real needs among the affected populations with regard to road traffic delay. The outcome of this review comes in the form of a proposal for mitigating the fatigue issue from happening using a unique technique based on the research gap that is adapted to the targeted environment.