Consider A Driver Alert Device
Some people stay awake at the wheel by eating snacks, listening to loud music or driving with the air conditioner on full blast. Other people ask a spouse to monitor them carefully to make sure that they aren’t nodding off. A better method is to use a gadget called a driver alert device which detects head movements and will sound a loud alarm if your heads drops forward in a way that indicates that your falling asleep.
There is some debate on whether or not such a device is a good way to keep the driver awake since being in such a weary state means you shouldn’t be on the road all. However, if you need to drive when tired it is better to use a driver alert device rather than nothing at all. Most gadgets of this type sit behind your ear in the same way that a Bluetooth device does and they usually run on batteries. Driver alert devices are adjustable to suit each driver individually and you can usually choose between a vibration or an alarm being triggered if you start to doze off.
Coming back to the debate on driver alert alarms, the conflict lays in the fact that some people feel that drivers may come to rely too heavily on a driver alert devices and if the device consequently fails, the results will be catastrophic. It is true that there is no substitute for being aware of your signs of sleepiness, the slightest of which should cause you to pull your car over to the side of the road and have a nap. Sometimes you may not feel particularly tired when you get into the car but if you are driving on a long dull highway and the weather is hot outside these conditions could bring on sudden drowsiness.
In this situation there is no doubt that a device to stay awake while driving is useful. The only way that such a gadget will be truly beneficial however is if you make a habit of putting it on every time you get into the car.
People in certain professions that require them to drive at night when they are tired, as in the case of taxi drivers and truck drivers, will greatly benefit from a stay alert device but should not neglect getting a normal amount asleep when they are not on the road.
Furthermore, if a college student finds it hard to stay awake during an important lecture, or an overnight building guard finds his routine too repetitious, a driver alert can be the nudge to stay awake and attuned to the environment.