Foursprung: Peppermint smell as driving assistance

Several manufacturers already provide systems that shall warn drivers for critical situations.
Now Oxford researchers found out that vibrating parts of a driver’s body as a warning can make them react more quickly to potential road dangers. Such multisensory warning signals are particularly effective if they came from the appropriate direction: for example, when your seatbelt vibrates your stomach if the car in front suddenly brakes.

Directional auditory warning icons, such as the sound of a car horn, generated by your car and then projected in the direction of the potential road danger were also found to be very effective. Such warning signals not only alert the driver to a potential hazard but also seem to automatically and intuitively direct the driver’s attention in the appropriate direction.

The same team also found out that peppermint odour can be used to improve concentration.
It says:

"It might not be long before cars will be pumping out various different smells in order to wake drivers up as they dose off, or to calm stressed drivers down (using lavender, for instance) to reduce the incidence of road rage."

Foursprung, safety

Source: Physorg via Jalopnik

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