Are you sleepy now?

A roadside test for tired drivers is being researched to try and reduce driver fatigue.

Each year, almost 10,000 serious workplace injuries and more than 25,000 serious injuries from road crashes are caused by poor alertness. This results in around $5 billion in lost productivity each year.

Driver sleepiness caused two in 10 serious car crash injuries in Australia, said Monash University Professor Shantha Rajaratnam, the project’s research leader.

He believed a roadside test for drowsy drivers was achievable and envisages that new devices that could test workers’ sweat or saliva. ‘‘It is something that law enforcement agencies all over the world have been looking for.’’

Getting a good night’s sleep was not as simple as it sounded, said Bob Baldwin, Member for Paterson  and parliamentary secretary to the minister for industry. Yesterday he launched a new co-operative research centre for alertness, safety and productivity at Monash.

The new centre will bring together a  team from 26 universities, tech companies and government agencies. The federal government is investing $14.5million in the centre over seven years.

MP Bob Baldwin said that ‘‘Over 20 percent of the population are affected by a sleep disorder’’.

“Each year, almost 10,000 serious workplace injuries and more than 25,000 serious injuries from road crashes are caused by poor alertness. Beyond the terrible human and emotional cost, this results in around $5 billion in lost productivity each year.”

Read the full news article here.

Are you always tired or sleepy during the day ?

Maybe you  have an diagnosed sleep disorder. Read more here or take a simple test here.