The packaging for the Anti Sleep Pilot makes clear that fatigue accounts for 25 per cent of driving-related fatalities, though it doesn’t specify if that’s in North America or Europe. Either way, the ASP is designed to prevent tired driving before it happens by using a mix of health stats and interactive technology to measure your limits.
A device like this, and its stated intent, leads one to at least ask two questions: First, how does this module measure a person’s fatigue? And second, what does it actually do to impede a driver from staying behind the wheel when fatigue has set in?
These questions loom even larger when you factor in that the ASP doesn’t “tap in” to your person in any way. There is no heart rate monitor, nor a camera or any other contraption that literally measures your vitals for a clearer picture of your awareness and instincts.
Instead, you answer a list of questions with numerical values attached to them. The “Fatigue status form” has questions asking how many hours of sleep you had the previous night, how many hours you’ve been awake and whether you consumed any alcohol in the last five hours.
Based on the final tally, you turn the orange knob next to the battery to the corresponding number so that the details are saved. From there, the ASP uses a combination of audio beeps and light indicators to gauge your responsiveness and monitor your status.
The only way to mount it on your dash is to use the included base with the sticker underneath. But the base also has a magnet on top that locks the ASP in place and acts as its on and off switch. It uses one AAA battery that is said to last about four hours a day over a 30-day span.
The ASP senses a vehicle’s movement, as well as driving duration between starts and stops, and turns on and off intermittently, flashing lights on a meter to indicate what it thinks is your fatigue level. Then at regular intervals, an orange ring around the device will light up with an audible ping prompting you to just touch the module to silence it. The reaction times are calculated and included in the ASP’s assessment of what your level is.
Generally, the meter will flash orange, but if it deems you to be too tired to drive, it will go red and start beeping repeatedly. Once it goes green, that’s its way of telling you that you need to take a break before hitting the road again.
Using the actual ASP module is one thing, but there is also an ASP iPhone app that gives the phone the same functionality. At just $19.99 compared to the $159 the unit costs, the app functions in much the same way, though it is better to have the phone mounted somewhere in the car in front of you for best results. Music can play in the background while the ASP is running, but only if you start the play list when at a full stop. Try to navigate while driving and the music will fade out once the ASP app is active. It generally works the same way on the iPhone, though it’s not quite as active using beeps and indicators.
All that said, is the ASP – in either form – a realistic deterrent to driving while tired or drowsy? Not entirely, no. There is a certain level of patience required in using it because you need to consider the list of questions before you drive. When you just want to get home from a long day or night, it’s hard to say if you would be willing to spend the minute or two to answer those before you get moving.
Still, this is a pretty inventive way of dealing with the problem of tired driving from a prevention standpoint because it doesn’t need to literally plug into you. It’s unlikely to work for everyone, but for those who drive a lot and for long hours over great distances, the ASP could mean the difference between a cruise and a pileup.
