After having developed a special suit that simulates what it’s like to be behind the wheel in a state of inebriation, Ford has now produced a similar one that sensitizes motorists to the risks that come with driving with a hangover. While blood-alcohol levels may have returned to legal limits the morning after the night before, the after-effects of the alcohol as well as fatigue can adversely affect drivers just as severely.
The automaker presented the new outfit this week at an event in Quebec attended by Christine Hollander, Director of Communications at Ford of Canada, and by Quebec-based organization Éduc’alcool.
Weighing more than 17 kg and consisting of a body vest, ankle weights, a helmet, headphones and glasses, the outfit allows participants to experience, without imbibing any alcohol, the symptoms of a hangover: headaches, lack of sleep, over-sensitivity to light, slowed reaction times, difficulty concentrating, etc.
“Road accidents are often avoidable, and this is why every accident is one too many,” explained Hubert Sacy, Director General of Éduc’alcool. The arrival of the summer vacation season is, in the organization’s view, “all the more reason to sensitize people as Ford is doing and remind people of the little-known risks posed by phenomena like a hangover. The fact is that even after getting some sleep, even if the blood-alcohol level has gone down to zero, people often are not at the peak of their capacities to drive.”