Shocking, isn’t it? Microsleep, or briefly dozing off while driving, is the cause of around 20% of road accidents in Malaysia, including fatalities, Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) deputy director-general Prof Dr Siti Zaharah Ishak has said, according to a Bernama report.
“Microsleep happens when we drive without being aware for a short period. At times, drivers may keep their eyes open but remain unconscious for two to 10 seconds,” she said recently on Bernama TV, adding that early signs include fidgeting in the seat and inconsistent speed.
“On average, people need seven hours of sleep to feel fully refreshed, though quality matters more than duration. Drivers who feel drowsy are advised to stop and rest at highway rest areas,” said Siti Zaharah.
It goes without saying that drivers need to be self-aware and honest with themselves. It’s too easy to tell yourself, “only X km to go, I’ll make it” but it’s just not a risk worth taking. It doesn’t matter how many thousand ADAS functions your car has including driver attention alert – stop and rest if you feel tired. It can make all the difference.
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I believe it, but how did MIROS come up with the 20% figure? Can PT share the research paper on it?
how about stroke or cardiac arrest?
Kan sruh jgn corncake semalam
First let’s align on the safety standards
1) Car companies need to meet a standard safety specification/blueprint which car companies have to comply. When there are car companies compromising on
the number of air bags to the price of the car, that’s totally not acceptable. Cheaper car’s having ADAS but expensive brands to make their cars affordable take it away
2) Why not have fatigue detection as standard? My car has it, so do you mean people who pay less can have their lives at stake. So lets stop talking and lets get going, a safety standard which all car companies have to comply.
Alot of branded German car companies treat Malaysia as a dumping ground, often compromising on safety over a price, but who is to blame, the society, would we pay merely for brand and not the safety features, debate able
Only MIROS can do this, give the push to car companies to comply with standard safety features and consider fatigue detection like on mine as standard, we could have probably saved the lives of that 20%, more or less.
Lets talk about road conditions, we will never know who avoided what pot hole and crashed into a vehicle, dead man says no tales.
So stop talking and get going, do the right thing MIROS.