Sleepy Drivers May Get Help From Blue Light

While drunken drivers get most of the attention, fatigued drivers can be just as dangerous. Tired motorists have all the usual aids available in any gas station — caffeine, cigarettes, energy pills — but now researchers at the Rensselaen Polytechnic Institute may have come up with a healthier, wiser way to keep drivers alert.

They’ve found that taking a 30-minute “bath” in blue light can modify the body’s internal clock and give drivers the energy necessary to stay awake and energized. Short wavelengths of blue light can have the same effect as other revitalizers, but without the detrimental health ramifications associated with downing four Red Bulls.

The team is now investigating the best method for delivering a blue-light bath. This may involve mounting LED blue lights in the cabs of cars and trucks. Drivers could hit a switch and drive in a blue-light bath until they felt more alert. The next question is how much blue lights will add to the sticker price.

Blue LEDs Could Rouse Sleepy Drivers (The New Scientist via Jalopnik)