The National Safety Commission Alerts
Safety is No Accident
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Aromatherapy and Facial Cues to Keep Drivers Awake
An auto manufacturer announced that they were developing a system to track facial cues that indicate that a driver may be falling asleep at the wheel and then use the car's air conditioning system to adjust the temperature and humidity to create an optimal environment to keep the driver awake. The system goes further using aromatherapy to give a blast of aromas designed to increase alertness in the driver. This is just one of several systems in the works to recognize and prevent drowsy driving.
Drowsy driving is a serious issue on America's highways. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that, based on police reports there are an average of:
The NHTSA feels these figures fall short of the full amount because they depend on vehicle occupants reporting drowsy driving to the police as a cause factor in the crash.
Studies show that America is a sleep deprived nation with 37% of drivers reporting that they have nodded off or fallen asleep at the wheel, 29% of those within the previous year and 10% within the previous month. That means that up to 75 million drivers have nodded off or fallen asleep at the wheel within the previous month.
With figures like that, the need for some kind of system to alert drivers before they fall asleep becomes apparent however some proposed systems seem to show more promise than others. The system that uses aromatherapy to heighten alertness could have a couple of problems. The system uses a camera trained on the driver and facial recognition software to recognize when a driver starts to yawn. A joint study by the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) and Sabanci University in Turkey found that yawning was ineffective as a predictor because, as someone starts to fall asleep, they yawn less, not more.
Studies designed to measure the effectiveness of aromatherapy have shown that the effect of aromatherapy may be due more to the placebo effect rather than any actual physical effects; that is, the user expects the aroma to work and thus reports a positive effect. A recent study by the University of Ohio looked at the effectiveness of lemon and lavender oils to improve mood. The experiment's subjects were put under a mild stress and then were exposed to cotton balls soaked in lemon oil, lavender oil, and water as a control. Some subjects were "primed" by being told what odor to expect while others were not. The results showed that the subjects, when told what aroma to expect, reported an improved mood more often after they were exposed to the water soaked cotton balls than the ones soaked in lavender oil. Blood pressure and blood chemical tests taken before and after exposure, showed no significant change in blood pressure or mood elevating chemicals.
In a German study designed to test aromatherapy's ability to increase alertness subjects were given cognitive tests before and after exposure to aromatic oils. A control group was tested without exposure to the oils. The study showed no statistical difference between those exposed to aromas and the control group.
Other systems that are under development to detect drowsiness in a driver show a little more promise. The UCSD program looked beyond yawning as a predictor for drowsiness. This program looked at 45 different points on the face. The study found that there were many more facial cues such as raised eyebrows, as the subjects fought to keep their eyes open, increased eye blinking, and other cues. The facial recognition software is designed to recognize all of those facial cues to predict that a driver may be drowsy. Different facial cues, along with erratic steering inputs, seem to show the best promise as a predictor for drowsy driving.
Mercedes has spent ten years developing a system that uses multiple cues and then sounds an audible alarm along with a flashing coffee cup icon on the dashboard display to warn the driver that he or she may be falling asleep.
These systems show some promise in their ability to warn a driver but the danger in these systems come when drivers depend on the system to give adequate warning instead of getting plenty of rest before hitting the road. A number of technological advances have been developed to make driving safer but safety experts warn that drivers may tend to rely too heavily on the technology rather than their own responsibility to be rested, alert, and paying attention to the driving environment ahead and around them. No matter how good the technology, it is still the driver's responsibility to be in full control of the vehicle.
Labels: alert drivers, driver safety, drowsy driving, sleep
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
How the Time Change Can Affect Your Driving
Its that time of the year again. Time to fall back and set the clocks to Standard time. The change can cause disruptions while our mind and body adapt to the new time and that disruption can extend to our driving.
Changing back from Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time occurs on the first Sunday in November and that falls on November 1st this year. The time change officially happens at 2:00 AM on Sunday November 1st. Falling back means setting the clock back one hour; at 2:00 AM set your clocks back to 1:00 AM. The great thing about falling back is that we all get an extra hour of sleep on Saturday night. Those who don't get the word will probably arrive at church an hour early and wonder where everyone is or why that football game hasn't started yet.
The time change is always somewhat confusing because it takes our minds a few days to adapt to the new change. Those of you who are used to waking up and beginning your morning commute in the dark will be waking up to the sunrise. Those who enjoy the extra sunlight after work will be getting home in the dark.
The time change in the fall isn't as disruptive as the spring time change. In spring we lose an hour of sleep and sleep experts say that losing even one hour of sleep can have an impact on our driving; driving while drowsy is just as dangerous as driving under the influence. However, even though we aren't going to lose any sleep, our driving can still be affected because of the time it takes our internal clock to adjust to the change.
Our internal biological clock or circadian rhythm, regulates our wake sleep cycle. It was easy before clocks were invented; we woke up at dawn and we went to sleep when it got dark. Sleep experts also say it is natural for us to become sleepy in the late afternoon. In the modern world, our days are regulated by the clock and that mechanical clock can sometimes come into conflict with our biological clock. Some sleep experts suggest that we follow the example of Meditteranean cultures and allow employees to nap in the afternoon in order to gain maximum performance. When we force ourselves to remain awake through that natural afternoon drowsy time, it can lead to drowsiness behind the wheel on the long commute home. One survey of drivers found that more than one-third (35%) of drivers who nodded off while driving within the previous six months say their last experience occurred between 6:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. An additional 17% report they nodded off between 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
A newly released study using mice (that also has implications for humans) found that when circadian rhythm cycles were disrupted, the mice didn't perform as well in maze tests as the control group whose circadian patterns weren't disrupted. They also exhibited impulsive behavior which, for human drivers, can mean trying to beat that light or pulling out in front of another car. When darkness suddenly falls an hour earlier, drivers may find themselves driving a little faster; trying to get home before daylight fades.
Another problem occurs because light conditions at dusk - before total darkness - can be confusing. Shapes that show up clearly in daylight or in a car's headlights may not show up as clearly at dusk. A study conducted in 1995 found that the number of auto/pedestrian crashes increased substantially in the period following the time change back to standard time. Kids are still walking home from practice or trying to get in a little extra playing time with their neighborhood pals before total darkness. A University of California trauma center found a "62 percent increase in the number of children in auto-vs-pedestrian crashes and auto-vs.-bicycle crashes in the two weeks following the October time change. Of these victims, 90 percent had severe injuries and required surgery."
Until their body clock adjusts to the new time, drivers should be especially cautious during the first few weeks after the time change. Get plenty of sleep, don't give in to the impulse to rush home to beat the sunset, and be especially watchful for pedestrians.
Drowsy driving prevention week is Nov. 2 – 8. For more information on sleep and sleep disorders, visit the National Sleep Foundation’s web site at: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/
Changing back from Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time occurs on the first Sunday in November and that falls on November 1st this year. The time change officially happens at 2:00 AM on Sunday November 1st. Falling back means setting the clock back one hour; at 2:00 AM set your clocks back to 1:00 AM. The great thing about falling back is that we all get an extra hour of sleep on Saturday night. Those who don't get the word will probably arrive at church an hour early and wonder where everyone is or why that football game hasn't started yet.
The time change is always somewhat confusing because it takes our minds a few days to adapt to the new change. Those of you who are used to waking up and beginning your morning commute in the dark will be waking up to the sunrise. Those who enjoy the extra sunlight after work will be getting home in the dark.
The time change in the fall isn't as disruptive as the spring time change. In spring we lose an hour of sleep and sleep experts say that losing even one hour of sleep can have an impact on our driving; driving while drowsy is just as dangerous as driving under the influence. However, even though we aren't going to lose any sleep, our driving can still be affected because of the time it takes our internal clock to adjust to the change.
Our internal biological clock or circadian rhythm, regulates our wake sleep cycle. It was easy before clocks were invented; we woke up at dawn and we went to sleep when it got dark. Sleep experts also say it is natural for us to become sleepy in the late afternoon. In the modern world, our days are regulated by the clock and that mechanical clock can sometimes come into conflict with our biological clock. Some sleep experts suggest that we follow the example of Meditteranean cultures and allow employees to nap in the afternoon in order to gain maximum performance. When we force ourselves to remain awake through that natural afternoon drowsy time, it can lead to drowsiness behind the wheel on the long commute home. One survey of drivers found that more than one-third (35%) of drivers who nodded off while driving within the previous six months say their last experience occurred between 6:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. An additional 17% report they nodded off between 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
A newly released study using mice (that also has implications for humans) found that when circadian rhythm cycles were disrupted, the mice didn't perform as well in maze tests as the control group whose circadian patterns weren't disrupted. They also exhibited impulsive behavior which, for human drivers, can mean trying to beat that light or pulling out in front of another car. When darkness suddenly falls an hour earlier, drivers may find themselves driving a little faster; trying to get home before daylight fades.
Another problem occurs because light conditions at dusk - before total darkness - can be confusing. Shapes that show up clearly in daylight or in a car's headlights may not show up as clearly at dusk. A study conducted in 1995 found that the number of auto/pedestrian crashes increased substantially in the period following the time change back to standard time. Kids are still walking home from practice or trying to get in a little extra playing time with their neighborhood pals before total darkness. A University of California trauma center found a "62 percent increase in the number of children in auto-vs-pedestrian crashes and auto-vs.-bicycle crashes in the two weeks following the October time change. Of these victims, 90 percent had severe injuries and required surgery."
Until their body clock adjusts to the new time, drivers should be especially cautious during the first few weeks after the time change. Get plenty of sleep, don't give in to the impulse to rush home to beat the sunset, and be especially watchful for pedestrians.
Drowsy driving prevention week is Nov. 2 – 8. For more information on sleep and sleep disorders, visit the National Sleep Foundation’s web site at: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/
Labels: driver safety, drowsy driving
