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We all know drink-driving is a big risk, but there's also a danger at this time of year when people drive the morning after a heavy night before - and Ford has come up with a 'Hangover Suit' to try and teach young drivers to avoid getting behind the wheel in such a condition.
Working with the Meyer-Hentschel Institute (MHI) in Germany, Ford commissioned the special suit to go with pre-existing Drink-Driving and Drug-Driving Suits, both created by the MHI and designed to simulate how hard it is to drive when you're under the influence of either alcohol or narcotics.
They are both used in Ford's Driving Skills for Life programme, a scheme which offers free training for young drivers and a course that, by the end of this year, will have tutored more than 20,000 drivers across 13 European countries.
The Hangover Suit will now form a part of the tuition. It weighs 17kg and is formed of a special vest, wrist and ankle weights, a cap and goggles, and headphones. Put together, these simulate the classic hangover symptoms of fatigue, dizziness, a throbbing head and difficulty concentrating.
Jim Graham, Ford Driving Skills for Life manager, said: "There is a lot of social pressure to prevent those who may be tempted to drink-drive after a night out. But many times those who drive the morning after are travelling alone. The 'Hangover Suit' shows how debilitating a hangover can be and the risk that driving in that condition can present to all road users."
You don't have to be over the drink-drive limit in terms of blood alcohol levels to still present a danger when behind the wheel the morning after - sleep deprivation and reduced reaction times can still present issues, even if you were sensible and didn't have an absolutely enormous preceding night on the booze.
Creating the Hangover Suit was slightly more difficult for the MHI than the drink and drug versions, with the institute's CEO, Gundolf Meyer-Hentschel, explaining: "We did a lot of research - including analysing our own abilities after an evening of social drinking. For the 'Hangover Suit', we have introduced the headphones that replicate the particular increased sensitivity to sound as well as the typical acoustic experiences of a migraine. In addition, a weighted headset, together with the goggles, simulates dizziness and a blinding headache."
And Dr Richard Stephens, a senior lecturer in psychology at the UK's Keele University, is one of the few people to have tried the suit out. Dr Stephens, who is an alcohol researcher with expertise in hangover symptoms, added: "People often do not realise the degree to which a hangover impacts your core ability to do anything. The Hangover Suit brings that point home loud and clear."
Anything else?
You can watch a short video of the Hangover Suit being tested right here.
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