Avoiding driver fatigue and drowsiness

                     A new study has found that drivers who use cruise control and speed limiters are prone to drowsiness when the road is empty and have significantly reduced reaction times when traffic gets busy. ADD cruise control and speed limiters to the growing list of technological conveinces that can make driving both safer and more dangerous.  It's a major contributor to drowsiness and adds significantly to reaction times when traffic gets heavy or road condition deteriorate.  Details of the study funded by the Vinci Autoroutes Foundation were released this week. It involved 90 French drivers, divided into three age groups and put through a driving simulator for three days. All the drivers showed drowsiness and slowed reaction times using cruise control and speed limiters, but the youngest drivers ages 18 to 30, were most affected by fatigue.
                                 Drivers were hooked up to machines measuring brain activity and eye movements and drove 120 kilometers in a simulator three times, encountering construction, a radar, a bus accident and a toll booth. With cruise control, where a car automatically keeps on at the same speed until the brake is appled, drivers braked progressively later, until by the end of the simulated trip drivers hit the brakes 85 metres further on.

                                The study asked participants to report their level of vigilance every 15 minutes, and average levels decreased significantly after just 30 minutes from the self-reported "rather awake" to the rather alarming "neither awake nor asleep" notably more for the younger drivers using cruise control. For cruise control, monotony is what slows reaction time, drivers zone out and are slower to recognize danger ahead, said Andre Dufour, the researcher with the University of Strasbourg. He said he didn't advise against the use of cruise control and speed limiters, but the young, who are more prone to drowsiness and are generally less experienced, need to be especially careful. There are warning signs, however which the New Brunswick Ministry of Public Safety says include:

• Sore, tired or slowly blinking eyes
• Frequent yawning
• Drowsiness, nodding off
• Slowing reaction time
• Loss of concentration, boredom, irritability, restlessness
• Drifting from your lane, inconsistent speed, erratic breaking
• Missed traffic lights, exists or turns.

     For example, Drinking Coffee, rolling the windows down or cranking the air conditioner for a face full of bracing air. Even blasting the tunes or simply giving the old head a shake. According to the experts at the Traffic Injury Research Foundation, the best ways to protect yourself against the effects of drowsiness or fatigue behind the wheel include:

• Getting plenty of rest before the drive
• Avoiding driving at times you'd usually be asleep
• Driving during daylight hours, if possible.
• Taking regular breaks during long trips.

And if you can't settle in for a full 8 hours of shut-eye, a more substantial nap of 20 to 40 minutes is typically enough for  a  temporary rejuvenation.