Sleep loss and disturbed sleep can result in impaired performance. Sleep deprivation can reduce attention and vigilance by 50%, decision-making ability, communication skills, and memory. The most sensitive tasks are those, which are long and monotonous, such as driving, which become very vulnerable to the effects of sleep deprivation.
Studies have affirmed that sleep-deprived drivers are just as dangerous as drunk drivers. It has been shown that people who drive after being awake for 17 to 19 hours performed worse than those with a blood alcohol level of .05 percent. Driver sleepiness due to sleep deprivation is a causative factor in 1% to 3% of all motor vehicle crashes. Reducing the extent of the drowsy driver problem is critical to improving the safety of EU highways. Recent studies have shown the importance of developing driver fatigue countermeasure devices to help prevent driving accidents and errors. Although numerous physiological indicators are available to describe an individual