Holiday Vehicle Crashes: Causes
- By John Chambers
- Published 07/16/2011
- Tutorials
- Unrated
The Labor Day and Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, are nearly here now. However, there is one catch to all these: The American holiday season doesn't always go easy, considering the number of death tolls and accidents.
During the over busy three day weekends, which are usually accompanied by high accident rates, the drivers have to drive for long hours, skip sleep, and succumb to the demands of holiday activities.
Proper rest is the only solution to these driving dangers; however it seems like human nature to always push the boundaries and prove we can endure more, even if it means risking our lives.
Because this is America's 24 hour, work hard, play hard culture, this problem is expected to grow even worse. With the use of Biomechanics, some scientists have devised a way, though not failsafe, to wake up a dozed off driver, with an alarm clock that can detect fatigue levels.
One of the main reasons behind the threats to road safety is driving fatigue. According to estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, at least 100,000 vehicle crashes, 71,000 injuries, and 1,500 fatalities each year can be directly attributed to it.
Aside from the money allotted to the victims, these crashes result to $12.5 billion in property loss every year. Other people estimated that nearly one million crashes and vehicular accidents per year can be attributed to driver fatigue and driver inattention.
One of the world's leading authoritie
s on eye blinks and fatigued drivers, and a professor of psychology at Washington University in St.Louis say that "although it is obvious" people shouldn't close their use while driving; they are already prone to accidents even before they fall asleep.
Through the decades, he has explored the physiological effects related to the onset of sleep, hoping that he could figure out the realities behind the driver fatigue telltales.
Much of this research has focused on the trucking industry because commercial operators have more incentive to invest in and utilize the warning devices. The professor estimates that the devices will initially cost several thousand dollars per vehicle, but he expects the cost to drop as the gadgets become more readily available for use in passenger cars.
How are these devices going to measure the driver's fatigue? According to scientists, long blinks and eye closers are very useful indicators of certain behavioral patterns when a person is reaching the danger zone. Alarm systems are also focused on the later stages of sleep, since drivers are likely to lapse into sleep and lose all alertness level completely.
To be effective, the alarm systems need to be able to detect earlier symptoms of the fatigue, because the onset of sleep is hardly recoverable.
To prevent the transition to sleep from happening, the research has been trying to pinpoint the irregular patterns in eye movements that could signal mental lapses and oncoming transition to sleep. The affectivity of the gadgets will ultimately increase if they are able to detect and identify these mental lapses.
During the over busy three day weekends, which are usually accompanied by high accident rates, the drivers have to drive for long hours, skip sleep, and succumb to the demands of holiday activities.
Proper rest is the only solution to these driving dangers; however it seems like human nature to always push the boundaries and prove we can endure more, even if it means risking our lives.
Because this is America's 24 hour, work hard, play hard culture, this problem is expected to grow even worse. With the use of Biomechanics, some scientists have devised a way, though not failsafe, to wake up a dozed off driver, with an alarm clock that can detect fatigue levels.
One of the main reasons behind the threats to road safety is driving fatigue. According to estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, at least 100,000 vehicle crashes, 71,000 injuries, and 1,500 fatalities each year can be directly attributed to it.
Aside from the money allotted to the victims, these crashes result to $12.5 billion in property loss every year. Other people estimated that nearly one million crashes and vehicular accidents per year can be attributed to driver fatigue and driver inattention.
One of the world's leading authoritie
Through the decades, he has explored the physiological effects related to the onset of sleep, hoping that he could figure out the realities behind the driver fatigue telltales.
Much of this research has focused on the trucking industry because commercial operators have more incentive to invest in and utilize the warning devices. The professor estimates that the devices will initially cost several thousand dollars per vehicle, but he expects the cost to drop as the gadgets become more readily available for use in passenger cars.
How are these devices going to measure the driver's fatigue? According to scientists, long blinks and eye closers are very useful indicators of certain behavioral patterns when a person is reaching the danger zone. Alarm systems are also focused on the later stages of sleep, since drivers are likely to lapse into sleep and lose all alertness level completely.
To be effective, the alarm systems need to be able to detect earlier symptoms of the fatigue, because the onset of sleep is hardly recoverable.
To prevent the transition to sleep from happening, the research has been trying to pinpoint the irregular patterns in eye movements that could signal mental lapses and oncoming transition to sleep. The affectivity of the gadgets will ultimately increase if they are able to detect and identify these mental lapses.
John Chambers
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