Effect of Sound Pressure Levels of Music on Driver’s Drowsiness

In recent years, serious traffic accidents caused by drowsy driving have been big social issues in Japan. Drowsy driving causes higher risk to driver to be involved in serious traffic accidents by reducing the attention of driver at the wheel. Therefore, drowsiness detection and its mitigation while driving are the highest prioritized challenges. Although many researchers have studied detecting drowsiness at the wheel, the methodology of mitigating drowsiness was not major area of study. In this research, the authors investigated the relationship between sound pressure levels of music and driver’s drowsiness variation by using the electroencephalogram (EEG), the electrocardiogram (ECG) and using images of the driver’s face taken with a video camera. Evaluation was done by introducing the method of rating the subjective drowsiness defined by The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) in Japan. The analytical results of data of gathered from EEG and ECG showed that the autonomic nerve was activated when the subjects were listening to louder music under resting state. The results of the subjective drowsiness by appearance showed that duration time in between awake and drowsy state of the subjects was extended by a certain level while listening to relatively loud music when operating the driving simulator. The authors ascertained that high pressure sound level of music gave a certain effect on subjects to suppress increasing their drowsiness and to set back initiation time of drowsiness.

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: CD-ROM
  • Features: Figures; Photos; References;
  • Pagination: 8p
  • Monograph Title: ITS Connections: Saving Time. Saving Lives

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01145010
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Nov 23 2009 12:09PM