Safety Scents?
If you would consider buying an air freshener for your vehicles, a recent study indicates you should select peppermint or cinnamon scent. (This is according to a study done at Jesuit University, West Virginia and supported by grants from the NSF and NASA, was reported May 10, 2005 (I am unable to retrieve the specific source of this.) Here is a summary of the results:
-Peppermint is associated with decreased anxiety while driving.
-Peppermint is associated with decreased fatigue while driving.
-Peppermint and cinnamon are associated with decreased driving frustration.
-Peppermint and cinnamon are associated with decreased temporal demand while driving.
-Peppermint and cinnamon are associated with greater levels of driving alertness.
They concluded that a peppermint or cinnamon air freshener in your car could leave you peppier and less likely to get into an accident. Drivers exposed to these smells felt less frustration, anxiety and fatigue than drivers of odor-free vehicles, they found.
Following the release of this study, the RAC Foundation*, a non-profit safe driving group in the U.K., conducted an extensive research and literature review into effects of smell on driving and they supported these conclusions. Additionally, they believe that lemon, coffee, and "new car" smell also aid driver concentration.
http://www.racfoundation.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=62&Itemid=35
Furthermore, RAC believes that some smells in cars ought to be avoided because they lead to greater risk of driver error. "Dangerous smells" that RAC lists and the reasons these would tend to decrease safety are:
-Camomile, Jasmine, and Lavender - these are all used to treat insomnia and can cause drivers to become over-relaxed behind the wheel. They are also present in many "flowery" air fresheners.
-The smell of fast food wrappers, fresh bread or pastry - these can cause driver irritability, a disposition to speed and an increased chance of involvement in road rage because they can all make drivers feel hungry and in a hurry to get somewhere they can eat.
-The smell of fresh cut grass, pine woods or a combination of leather seats and oil - These can bring back memories and feelings that could distract drivers
-Certain perfumes and aftershaves - these can have a strong sexual association which may make both male and female drivers more interested in carnal matters than the task at hand.
Sue Nicholson, Head of Campaigns for the RAC Foundation said:
"It's astounding how much the smell in a car can affect a driver's mood and actions. Smell is a very powerful sense and could result in a lack of concentration or over-reaction to minor irritations on the road - which can turn into potentially life threatening incidents"
Conrad King, the RAC Foundation's consultant psychologist, who conducted the research review added: "More than any other sense, the sense of smell circumnavigates the logical part of the brain... This is why the smell of perfume can turn men into gibbering idiots, the smell of baking bread can destroy the best intentions of a dieter ... When we bring cars into the equation, however, the ability of various smells to over or under stimulate us as drivers can have catastrophic results."
No one has ever quantified these effects in terms of changes in accident frequency, so a cost/ benefit calculation is not possible. Drivers who choose to keep an air freshener in the car might as well choose one that tends to help them drive better and more refreshed, no matter how small the effect might be.
