Fatigue driving becomes criminal

01 September 2003: New Jersey has just became the first state in the US to make driving while fatigued, defined as not having slept in 24 hours, a form of recklessness under its vehicular-homicide statute.

This follows a side-effect of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US which has resulted in a switch from air travel by businessmen to driving long distances, and this has put them at risk of falling asleep at the wheel.

Drowsiness is estimated to result in at least 76,000 injuries and 1,500 deaths on American roads a year.

A recent survey of people who reported that they had driven a car on a business trip of at least 200 miles found that 58 per cent said that they had experienced drowsiness. To fight it, 48 per cent said they listened to loud music, 45 per cent rolled down the windows or turned on the air-conditioning, 39 per cent drank caffeinated beverages, 10 per cent talked on their cellphones and 10 per cent did nothing. Less than a fifth pulled over and took a nap.

Business psychologists say too many such drivers don't see lack of sleep as a risk or a problem when they get in a car. And insurers warn that the problem could lead to higher premiums.

The situation has led to the development of a number of devices aimed at waking drivers who nod off at the wheel, such as Doze Alert and the Nap Zapper, mechanisms worn behind the ear that buzz loudly if your head falls forward.

The Driver-Drowsiness Alert System uses sensors to monitor driver behavior and deliver a warning, and the Steering Attention Monitor that sets off an alarm when abnormal steering movement is detected.

A more high-tech system that records the driver's eyelid movement, yawning, head nodding and other indicators and sounds an alarm if they indicate extreme weariness is being developed with financing from the Honda Motor Company.

But sleep experts say the best cure is to pull over and sleep.

©2003 irishcar.com