There’s no question that commercial truck drivers have a demanding and tiring job. In many cases, these drivers are required to drive long distances on extremely tight schedules. Too often, they find themselves make less than safe choices in order to meet the demands of their employers. One company has come out with what they think may be a solution to truck accidents caused by tired truck drivers.
The device was written about in Automotive World
One of the reasons that California residents are particular interested in this product is because the infamous Palm Desert bus crash, in which several people died, was found to be the result of driver fatigue, or at least driver fatigue was a contributing factor. That’s why we’re keeping a close eye on the article Automotive World put out, in which they discussed how a regular-seeming trucker’s hat may be the answer to these problems.
The device comes with Ford
Ford Motor Company has actually come out with this product, and they’re calling it Safe Cap. It may look just like any other trucker cap you’d see, but it does a lot more than just block the sun or look nice – it has sensors that can measure a number of things. Most importantly, it’s able to measure how and when the driver’s head moves, which can help identify fatigue and notify the driver that there’s a problem.
The hat encourages the driver to take a rest break
If the hat follows the movements of the driver’s head and decides that the driver is in danger of making mistakes due to fatigued, then a series of vibrations, sounds, and lights will signal to the driver. This hopefully will encourage the driver to take a rest. It’s true that this hat can’t force the driver to stop and take a break, but it can give them the possibly much-needed outside confirmation that a break is in order. This could also be helpful for employers who want to see how safe their routes and schedules are for their drivers.
The hat has more testing to go through before being rolled out
So far, the trucker’s cap has been tested in real conditions for eight months. There are several rounds of additional testing that the technology must go through. Then Ford will have to work on having it patented and then certified. Once that’s all done, then it may make its way to the market.
At Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas, we hope this is a technology that can be used to help prevent both truck accidents and car accidents. However, if you have been hurt in a car accident then you deserve help. We are here to provide a free legal consultation. Just call us at 909-982-0707 and we’ll get started right away. Our cases are taken on a contingency basis so there’s no risk to you. Don’t wait – get the answers and the legal help you need today.
