• Driving after big nights out – like a holiday party – can be as dangerous as drunk driving
  
  
• Even if you are no longer over the limit, the after effects are just as debilitating
  
  
• Specially designed "Hangover Suit" simulates throbbing head, feeling tired and weak
  
  
• Suit is part of the free, global Ford Driving Skills For Life program aimed at new drivers
  
  
  

Drunk driving is now one of society’s biggest taboos – but hitting the road the morning after can be just as dangerous.

And with many people drinking more than usual over the festive period at parties with colleagues, friends and families, it is a peak time for drivers to take a risk that could be fatal – both for themselves and other road users.

That’s where Ford’s “Hangover Suit” comes in. Weighing more than 37 pounds, it consists of a special vest, wrist and ankle weights, cap and goggles, and headphones. Together, these simulate the classic hangover symptoms of fatigue, dizziness, throbbing head and difficulty concentrating.

In Europe, research shows alcohol is a factor in 1 in 6 road crash fatalities. And in the U.K., 1 in 10 drunk driving arrests take place between 6 and 8 a.m. Ford commissioned the “Hangover Suit” from the renowned Meyer‑Hentschel Institute in Germany to highlight the dangers.

“There is a lot of social pressure to prevent those who may be tempted to drive under the influence after a night out. But many times those who drive the morning after are traveling alone,” said Ford Driving Skills for Life Manager Jim Graham. “The ‘Hangover Suit’ shows how debilitating a hangover can be and the risk that driving in that condition can present to all road users.”

Even when drivers are no longer over the legal alcohol limit they still present a risk that can be as high as for those who are drunk driving, with drivers likely to be sleep deprived and their reaction times are affected.

Through its Ford Driving Skills for Life program, Ford offers free training for young drivers. This program has trained more than 25,000 drivers across 13 countries in Europe. Previously, for the program, Ford worked with the Meyer Hentschel Institute to produce a tailor-made “Impairment Suit” and “Drugged Driving Suit” – as featured recently on “Jay Leno’s Garage”. The “Hangover Suit” presents different challenges.

“We did a lot of research – including analyzing our own abilities after an evening of social drinking,” said Gundolf Meyer-Hentschel, CEO of the Meyer-Hentschel Institute. “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.”

Among those who have already experienced the suit firsthand is Dr Richard Stephens, a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Keele University, in the U.K., and an alcohol researcher with expertise in hangover.

“People often do not realize the degree to which a hangover impacts your core ability to do anything,” said Prof. Stephens. “The ‘Hangover Suit’ brings that point home loud and clear.”

Ford DSFL has two additional impairment suits:

Editor’s notes
* https://www.allianz.com/en/press/news/commitment/community/141209_fatal-traffic-accidents.html

** http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2514724/Jump-drink-drivers-caught-limit-morning-after.html

*** http://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/motr/driving-with-a-hangover-just-as-dangerous-as-driving-drunk.html#.WEf_QLKLTb0

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global automotive and mobility company based in Dearborn, Michigan. With about 203,000 employees and 62 plants worldwide, the company’s core business includes designing, manufacturing, marketing and servicing a full line of Ford cars, trucks and SUVs, as well as Lincoln luxury vehicles. To expand its business model, Ford is aggressively pursuing emerging opportunities with investments in electrification, autonomy and mobility. Ford provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products and services, please visit https://corporate.ford.com/homepage.html.

Ford of Europe is responsible for producing, selling and servicing Ford brand vehicles in 50 individual markets and employs approximately 53,000 employees at its wholly owned facilities and approximately 68,000 people when joint ventures and unconsolidated businesses are included. In addition to Ford Motor Credit Company, Ford Europe operations include Ford Customer Service Division and 24 manufacturing facilities (16 wholly owned or consolidated joint venture facilities and 8 unconsolidated joint venture facilities). The first Ford cars were shipped to Europe in 1903 – the same year Ford Motor Company was founded. European production started in 1911.