Spanish engineers are developing a seatbelt which monitors the heart rate of drivers and issues an alert, warning them to pull over, if they are in danger of falling asleep behind the wheel.
Seatbelts which monitor heart rate and wake drivers up if they sense they are falling asleep behind the wheel, have been developed by scientists.
The new device can spot when breathing and heart rate slows and issue a warning alarm to pull over to prevent motorists from causing accidents through nodding off.
Driver fatigue is a major problem on roads and is believed to contribute to around 20 per cent of all road accidents and around 25 per cent of fatal or serious crashes.
The new system – dubbed HARKEN - also takes a second reading from a special seat cover.
Jose Solaz, of the Biomechanics Institute in Valencia, Spain, said: “The variation in heart and respiratory rate are good indicators of the state of the driver as they are related to fatigue.
“So when people go into a state of fatigue or drowsiness, modifications appear in their breathing and heart rate.
“(The device) can monitor those variables and therefore warn the driver before the symptoms appear.”
Sleepiness reduces reaction time, alertness and concentration. Most sleep related crashes happen on long journeys on monotonous roads, like motorways between 2am and 6am in the morning or just after lunch, between 2pm and 4pm in the afternoon.
“So when people go into a state of fatigue or drowsiness, modifications appear in their breathing and heart rate.
“(The device) can monitor those variables and therefore warn the driver before the symptoms appear.”
Sleepiness reduces reaction time, alertness and concentration. Most sleep related crashes happen on long journeys on monotonous roads, like motorways between 2am and 6am in the morning or just after lunch, between 2pm and 4pm in the afternoon.
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