Tuesday 10th February 2004

Sleeping Danger

Roadsafe welcomes Ford research into drowsy drivers

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Ford Motor Company researchers have encouraged more than 20 drivers to fall asleep at the wheel – all in the interest of improving vehicle safety.

A United States-based team researching driver drowsiness and accident avoidance is using Ford's VIRTTEX driving simulator for the ongoing study. VIRTTEX stands for VIRtual Test Track EXperiment. Ford is the only North American automaker with a full-motion-based driving simulator like VIRTTEX and findings will be used to develop new safety technology.

UK road safety campaigners RoadSafe welcomed the study. Director Adrian Walsh said at least 20 per cent of accidents on major, non urban roads were due to tiredness. "Tired drivers kill more people than drink drivers ," he said. "At least 40,000 serious injuries and nearly 3,500 deaths occurred on our roads in 2002 with drowsiness as the principal cause ." Roadsafe is a partnership of motor industry companies with the aim of promoting safer road use.

"Driver fatigue and falling asleep while driving is a deadly problem ," said Jeff Greenberg, Ford safety research technical specialist and manager of the VIRTTEX laboratory in Dearborn, Michigan.

"Our goal is to understand these incidents better and investigate whether new technologies could be developed to detect this situation and help prevent it from happening ."

A group of 24 men and women has been selected as test drivers, ranging in ages from 21 to 70. They stay up all night before their test date and consume no caffeine after 6pm the preceding evening. A sensor placed on a watchstrap is worn the day before the test to verify that volunteers do not sleep.

Once in the VIRTTEX chamber, the volunteers drive for up to three hours on a simulated darkened country road. An in-car camera monitors the driver's face for eye movement. A computer calculates the percentage of eye closed versus eye open – to sense if the driver is falling asleep.

All 24 tests are still to be completed but Jeff's early observations noted differences between how drivers fall asleep at the wheel. "Some begin to nod their head while others are completely still. They then lapse into 'micro sleep' lasting a matter of seconds but potentially deadly at 70mph ."

Link : www.roadsafe.com

[anonymous-user]

Adrian Walsh of Roadsafe said:

At least 40,000 serious injuries and nearly 3,500 deaths occurred on our roads in 2002 with drowsiness as the principal cause.

What, not speeding?

[CraigAlsop]

3,500 deaths? That's nearly all of them isn't it?
The faster you go, the more adrenaline you produce & the less likely you are to go to sleep.
Speeding saves lives. QED

>> Edited by CraigAlsop on Tuesday 10th February 10:38

[james_j]

LexSport said:

Adrian Walsh of Roadsafe said: At least 40,000 serious injuries and nearly 3,500 deaths occurred on our roads in 2002 with drowsiness as the principal cause. What, not speeding?

Yes, now that is interesting and yes, that is virtually all deaths. Seems that the figures regarding speed-related deaths are questionable; now there's a surprise. Safespeed may be interested in Roadsafe's figures!

[senake]

All very true IMHO...and perhaps this is the start of fining people for not concentrating which whilst more technically difficult, would be far more worthwhile than speeding.

[stackmonkey]

it doesn't read to say that nearly all of the deaths are caused by drowsiness, it just says that tiredness is the principal cause; let's not use the same statistics manual as the Gov't here.

having said that, I agree that tiredness is a major problem. One of my (2) accidents was due to tiredness, as was at least a 'couple' of near misses. I drive 35k p.a., I think I know what I'm doing wrt driving while tired and I still get caught out every so often.

[skoda_rob]

james_j said:

Seems that the figures regarding speed-related deaths are questionable

Well, no, as they say the accidents are as a result of "excessive speed"...which, if you're asleep, wouldn't be hard!


Rob.

>> Edited by skoda_rob on Tuesday 10th February 14:06

[kevinday]

Guys, the figures are based in America not the UK, so it is not virtually all KSIs. However, it is a valid point that the 20% is a great deal greater than the approx. 5% that is attributable to excessive speed. Surely the government should focus on this as it is a hazard 4 times greater than excessive speed.





One problem - I cannot see how to generate any income from it because detecting it will be impossible with cameras and a lack of traffic police

[jam1et]

With the lack of driver input required to propel some of todays modern cars I'm not surprised people fall asleep at the wheel. Comfortable, heated seats you can move into any position at the touch of the button, smooth, self adapting suspension, lack of road noise, climate control, cruise control, power steering, soothing 5.1 music etc etc. In a our company merc you could drive with your feet on the dash and steer with your little finger! We are so coccooned its hardly surprising people drift off.

[CraigAlsop]

kevinday said:

Guys, the figures are based in America not the UK

I was referring to: "UK road safety campaigners RoadSafe welcomed the study. Director Adrian Walsh said ...nearly 3,500 deaths occurred on our roads in 2002 with drowsiness as the principal cause ."
So the figures Adrian Walsh gave are for UK.

[james_j]

skoda_rob said:

james_j said: Seems that the figures regarding speed-related deaths are questionable Well, no, as they say the accidents are as a result of "excessive speed"...which, if you're asleep, wouldn't be hard! Rob. >> Edited by skoda_rob on Tuesday 10th February 14:06

Yes, sure but the prime cause of the accident is the non-alertness of the driver - speed is totally irrelevant. (Who knows what the right foot does once one is asleep!)

[wrinkly]

Perhaps they should convert gatsos into coffee vending machines.

[cptsideways]

I drive 40k miles per year, 3pm & if I'm on the road I HAVE to stop for a kip. About 10 mins is all I need but without I'd be in the nearest hedge.


I've had at least two close calls, I never risk it anymore, surely others must have similar situations but just carry on.

[te51cle]

Have you guys seen the video they took of a sleepy driver at the wheel ? He wasn't wearing a seatbelt and the result is frightening.

[z064life]

te51cle said:

Have you guys seen the video they took of a sleepy driver at the wheel ? He wasn't wearing a seatbelt and the result is frightening.

Nope.
If you have this vid, do upload it.

[kevinday]

CraigAlsop said:

kevinday said: Guys, the figures are based in America not the UK I was referring to: "UK road safety campaigners RoadSafe welcomed the study. Director Adrian Walsh said ...nearly 3,500 deaths occurred on our roads in 2002 with drowsiness as the principal cause ." So the figures Adrian Walsh gave are for UK.

Sorry Craig, so it does, which does mean he is speaking garbage as that would mean all deaths are caused by drowsiness, patently not true.

[TripleS]

I'm a bit behind the times with this having only just seen the item.

I had a lucky escape round about 1988 on a journey home to Scarborough from Windsor. Mike (my son) and I had been on a weekend coach trip to a sports car race at Spa. We left Brands Hatch at about tea time on the Saturday, travelled overnight to Spa, saw the race on Sunday and travelled back to Brands Hatch overnight, with no chance of proper sleep along the way.

Mike was living and working in Windsor at the time, so I spent most of Monday with him and then set off for Scarborough about tea time in our Jaguar XJ6 Series 3.

On the A1 somewhere a bit south of Newark I was travelling at about 65 mph in lane 2 with the cruise control engaged, when I suddenly wakened up just in time to see grass disappearing under the front of the bonnet. Fortunately I didn't snatch at the steering wheel, I just held it steady while I looked anxiously in the mirror, but the only other vehicle in sight was one HGV in lane 1 about 100 yards behind me. Presumably the lorry driver had seen me wandering off so he held back to see what happened.

All I needed to do was to steer gently back onto the carriageway (the car had not touched the central barrier but it must have been close) and head for the slip road that was a short distance ahead. I left the A1, this time in a carefully controlled fashion, and stopped the car in a suitable spot, and had a quiet think about things!

This falling asleep at the wheel is a worrying phenomenon and it is all too easy for it to happen. We really do need to stop if there is any feeling of drowisness, otherwise the first thing you know will be the waking up - if you are lucky, and I was lucky.

Take care folks.
Dave.






>> Edited by TripleS on Sunday 15th February 19:29