The effects of specific musical stimuli on driver~s drowsiness

Abstract

The aim of this study is the prevention of driver's drowsiness by analyzing biological signals. We focus on the music as a prevention. Most drivers listen to music in the car while driving. Music has varied effects - sedative effects, maintaining a level of vigilance, and uplifting listener's spirits. We think that those effects are directly associated with a driver's awakening state. In this paper, the choice of music and the musical feature of each pieces of music were examined to measure the effect on the drowsy. 4 patterns of music were selected using 2 criteria: preference (high - low) and tempo (fast - slow). Experiment time was 10 minutes. During each experiment musical stimuli were applied to the subjects. Using measuring techniques we were able to evaluate the effects of the musical stimuli on the subject's biological signals. The results showed that "high preference - fast tempo" music made positive effects on the subjects' level of vigilance. On the other hand, "low preference - slow tempo" music promoted a sedative effect there by decreasing the subject level of vigilance. These results suggest that musical preference and the tempo of the music were effective factors stimulating a driver's arousal level hence his/her level of vigilance