In-vehicle fragrance administration as a countermeasure for driver fatigue

• Driver fatigue is a contributing factor in about 20% of all crashes. Prevention of fatigue related crashes is a major goal for the automotive industry. To reach this goal, both robust detection and effective countermeasures are required. The most effective countermeasure for sleepiness is sleep. Studies also show an increased alertness using caffein intake. Despite this, the most common countermeasure used is to stop to take a walk, turn on the radio/stereo or open a window. Countermeasures for fatigue may be a larger challenge than detection, since the most effective countermeasure, such as taking a nap, are highly intrusive in the sense that you need to make an unplanned stop (or shift drivers if there is more than one person in the car). Finding less intrusive, yet effective, countermeasures that could be deployed without requiring major replanning would thus provide a significant benefit to car makers who wish to deploy this type of technology in their vehicles.In the current study, the possibility of exposing drivers to odors when they are about to fall asleep has been explored. Previous research has found that specific fragrances can have alerting effects and that certain substances that act on trigeminal nerves can wake people from both light and deeper sleep. Therefore, the aim was to investigate if administration of a fragrance incorporating trigeminal components during fatigued driving can have a significant alerting effect.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Psykologi -- Tillämpad psykologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Psychology -- Applied Psychology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

X RSXC

X RSXC

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

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