A new study shows what your vehicle does that could cause a fatal accident

New research by Australian scientists shows that normal vibrations of any automobile can increase driver fatigue, increasing the risk of an accident.

New scientific research conducted at RMIT University revealed their own drivers – and others – according to a study published in the journal Ergonomics last week. The study found that the low-level vibrations that inevitably occur in most cars have a significant effect of driver fatigue.

According to the Center for Disease Control of Atlanta, no less than 6,000 fatal automobile accidents in the United States each year caused by driver fatigue. With fatal accidents of more than 40,000 in 2016, according to The New York Times this means that about 15% of all people who die each year in traffic accidents in the United States are killed by drowsy drivers.

"Nobody knows the exact moment when sleep comes on their body.Sleep at the wheel is clearly dangerous, but being tired affects your ability to drive safely, even if you do not fall asleep," according to the CDC.

In Australia, this figure is about 20% – one in five – according to the Australian State of Victoria Transport Accidents Commission.

So what can be done to reduce the tragedies caused by sleeping drivers? The new RMIT study suggests that making cars that minimize vibration as the car moves around would be a big help.

The vibrations produced by cars and trucks during their race can not even be perceived by their drivers because of their low frequencies. But the subjects of the RMIT University experiment – placed in a simulator controlled by scientists, and not in moving cars – showed significant signs of drowsiness "requiring substantial efforts to remain alert and performing well". the wheel, according to a summary of the study published by Science Daily .

"When you're tired, it does not take much to start nodding and we found that gentle vibrations," said Stephen Robinson, professor of psychology at RMIT, author of the study , cited Newsweek "Our study shows regular low frequency vibrations – such as those we experience when driving cars and trucks – gradually causing drowsiness in well-rested and healthy people."

The researchers measured the sleepiness of their subjects, a questionnaire that asked participants to rate their level of alertness on a scale of one to nine, according to the site InterDynamics with "a" being "extremely alert", and "nine" indicating that the subject feels "Extremely sleepy, fighting against sleep."

A 2006 study published by the journal Clinical Neurophysiology confirmed that Karolinska's scale shows "great validity in the measure of drowsiness." There was good news – moving cars can also produce "good vibrations" that can have the effect opposite on drivers, thus increasing alertness. But study authors say more research is needed to determine the range of frequencies that could help keep drivers awake and possibly reduce deaths caused by sleepy driving, according to the industry's website. Australasin Transport News . ]! function (f, b, e, v, n, t, s) {if (f.fbq) returns; n = f.fbq = function () {n.callMethod?
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