Driving a car can be a fun and exhilarating activity, like when you’re cruising along a back road with little traffic, and you’ve got some great tunes playing and the windows down, and the sun is shining. But then there are times when driving can be more of a chore than anything else – the long drive home after a 12-hour day at the office or a grueling overnight trek on a deserted highway when you are completely exhausted.
The repetition of the highway can easily lull drivers to sleep, especially if they’re already drowsy. According to recent statistics, drowsy drivers cause approximately 100,000 accidents every year, and some studies indicate that driving drowsy can be just as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol.
But new technologies are beginning to emerge that may make a big difference in helping to alert drivers who might be too drowsy to drive safely.
Mercedes’ version of this technology gathers data on your normal driving habits and alerts you with a polite message on the dashboard when you begin to deviate from those habits. Another technology, offered by Saab, utilizes cameras to monitor movements in the eyes, eyelids and head to catch drivers falling asleep at the wheel.
In addition to built-in technologies, it’s expected that there soon will be an influx in several aftermarket products intended to keep drivers awake and alert. One such technology, called Anti-Sleep Pilot, not only measures 26 different sleep factors, but also requires the driver to tap a button every 15 minutes. This technology will be released in the U.S. soon.
To learn more about drowsy driving, visit www.vanweylaw.com.
