Too Tired To Drive? A New Test May Now Tell You.

M. Brandon Smith

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Are you too tried to being driving? Just ask your siliva, it just might tell you the answer according to leading researchers. In a new movement to combat drivers who are excessively tired, researchers are in the process of developing a new "fatigue-alyzer" that shows a link between drowsiness and increased activity of an enzyme best known for breaking down starches.

According to Newsday.com:

A study released earlier this year concluded that drowsiness increases a driver's risk of being in an accident or near-accident by a factor of four. "A large number of officers have reported stopping people who they thought were drunk," Drobnich said, "but turned out to be tired." The phenomenon has led activists to call for a "fatigue-alyzer."

At the very least, he said, the study's experiments demonstrate the plausibility of a roadside test to deter sleepy motorists from pushing their luck.

"If they knew in the back of their minds that there was a chance they could be pulled over for driving under the influence of being tired," he said, "they might think twice."

The device is being presented much like the portable alcohol sensor which is used by millions of law enforcement personnel to detect drivers who choose to drive while impaired. It use, while still in the elementary stages right now, could ultimately save thousands of lives each year on our roadways and public highways.