Electric shock treatment to keep truckies awake?

[kscarbel2]

The Coffs Coast Advocate  /  January 23, 2018

Is electric shock treatment for fatigued truck drivers really the solution to the horror road toll?

It might sound a little drastic, but it's not that far from a sensible idea.

New South Wales Transport Minister Melinda Pavey raised the topic while talking about the tragic spate of fatal crashes involving truck drivers.

Technology to detect fatigue in truck drivers has been around for several years and the device the Minister was referring to is a clever one that has been trialled in the mining industry.

A camera monitors a driver's eye movements, looks for telltale signs of fatigue and then delivers a vibration (not really an electric shock) through the seat to alert the driver.

"This should not come as a shock to anyone in the transport industry, no pun intended," Ms Pavey told Channel Ten's The Project.

"This technology is being used around the world. It's just a little bit of a vibe through a chair or through a bracelet on a driver's arm and it works."

In the UK a wristband vibrates to warn of fatigue.

Several vehicle makers have similar technology on their cars and trucks and it shows great promise, although it's still in its infancy.

Mercedes-Benz trucks in Australia are fitted with AEB, along with similar drowsy driver tech.

In the case of Benz, the truck monitors a driver's steering inputs and delivers a vibration through the steering wheel if they detect lazy driving.

They also have a lane departure warning, which sets off an alarm if the truck crosses the centre line or roadside markers.

Many luxury cars can steer themselves back into a lane if the driver strays.

Some will even gradually bring the car to a halt if they can't detect steering inputs.

Problem is, none of this technology was readily available 12 years ago, and the average age of our truck fleet is 12 years. That could change quickly, though, as AEB can be retrofitted to trucks.

It's expensive to install, though, and transport companies working on razor-thin margins are unlikely to adopt it unless forced, or encouraged to.

So while it's refreshing to see a minister looking outside the square to fix the disastrous road toll, it would be better still if they bit the bullet and made lifesaving AEB mandatory.

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[41chevy]

Make the 4 wheelers use it also. .. texting...  ZAP,  reading while driving...  ZAP, eating...  ZAP, doing make up or hair....  ZAP!

[HeavyGunner]

11 hours ago, 41chevy said:

Make the 4 wheelers use it also. .. texting...  ZAP,  reading while driving...  ZAP, eating...  ZAP, doing make up or hair....  ZAP!

Come on paul you know the 4 wheelers that cause 99% of crashes are never the problem. 

[Timmyb]

The technology this article is based on exists, but it is not perfected. 

BIS industries use this, and I’ve spoken to a few drivers who have said it’s been nothing but trouble. Mainly false readings. And subsequently, I’m not even sure if they’re still using it. 

BIS use it for shift workers. Night shift is from 6pm to 6am. Surely a 12am to 12pm shift would be better option to combat fatigue?