Prevent Distracted And Drowsy Driving Accidents With Technology

Many of the car accidents that California auto accident attorneys come across can be traced to distractions or drowsiness. The federal administration is currently taking the threat from distracted driving very seriously, pressurizing states to enact bans on cell phone use and texting while driving. The efforts against drowsy driving however, have not been as intense. In the meantime, motorists must understand that their risks of being involved in an accident are greatly amplified if their attention is elsewhere while they're driving.

Fortunately, technology has not kept up with the growing threat from distractions and drowsy motorists, and there are now a number of gadgets available on the market that can reduce your chances of being involved in a crash caused by inattentiveness or fatigue. For instance, the forward collision warning system is designed to sound an alert when it gauges that your car is too close to the car in front. The Driver Assistance Alert System is coordinated with your car's electronics system, so it can easily determine how fast you're driving. If you're in danger of colliding with a car in front of you, the system will emit a loud signal, warning you to slow down.

A little different from the collision warning system is the lane departure warning system. This device is designed to determine whether the motorist is in danger of leaving his lane and veering over into the lane, a frequent accident-type related to drowsiness or distractions. The device sounds a warning, warning you to move back into your lane, thereby preventing an accident. Some of the deadliest accidents are caused by motorists who veer into opposing lanes, crashing head-on into other cars at high speed.

Drivers at a high risk of fatigue may benefit from the Anti-Sleep Pilot from ASP Technology. This 2.4-inch device is battery powered, and determines the driver's fatigue levels based on 26 factors that can affect driver fatigue. The device is designed to measure just how long you can drive before fatigue begins to set in. What's great about this device is that it doesn't have a standard pattern of fatigue for each driver. Instead, it measures the number of hours that you sleep every night, your gender, the numbers of hours you work per week, whether you have a baby in the family, and other factors that affect your sleep patterns, before coming up with a risk assessment for your profile.

While you're driving, the Anti-Sleep Pilot measures your risk of fatigue by measuring reaction time. A small alarm is sounded and a light is flashed, and the driver is required to slap the device to turn off the sound and the light. The device then measures the amount of time it took for you to stop the sound and light. If your reaction time is too slow for four times in a row, then the device warns you that you're tired and need to take a break.