Warning glasses to help drowsy drivers
Glasses equipped with sensors to monitor drivers’ eyes and alert them when they are drowsy have been launched by a Melbourne company. They audibly warn drivers with messages such as ‘Danger. You are now too drowsy to drive.’
The glasses – to be sold as Optalert – are manufactured by Sleep Diagnostics and were tested for two years by Linfox and Toll Holding’s drivers.
The aim of Optalert is to save lives on the road. Their sensors measure where the eyes are looking, how open the eyelids are and how quickly they are moving. Droopy eyes and a long time between blinks indicate a greater level of drowsiness.
The NRMA motorists’ association says that up to a third of the 1500 deaths on the roads each year were attributed to drowsiness. The NRMA invested $1 million in the new technology.
