BRUSSELS, August 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
Keeping A/C on in the car keeps
drivers safe, but many are unaware of
benefits, according to a survey
conducted by Honeywell
Summer weather has many drivers turning up the air conditioning
to keep cool as they collectively cover hundreds of thousands of
kilometers during the peak holiday season. But a new survey
conducted by Honeywell (NYSE: HON) reveals that many
European drivers are not aware of the important safety and health
benefits that properly using the car's air conditioning system can
bring.
"Our survey found that air conditioning systems are Europeans'
preferred optional extra - even outpacing newer technologies like
navigation and parking assist. But they did not know it can do more
than just keep them cool," said Julien
Soulet, business director for Honeywell Fluorine Products, a
leading global manufacturer of refrigerants, including HFO-1234yf,
a next-generation automobile refrigerant that offers a global
warming potential (GWP) that is 99.9 percent lower than the
previous refrigerant, HFC-134a, and lower than carbon dioxide. "Air
conditioning, combined with good driving habits, can help keep
drivers and passengers safe this holiday driving season."
Based on results of a survey of drivers in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, Honeywell is providing European drivers
with its top 10 tips to remain safe and alert as they undertake the
long drive to their holiday destinations as the temperatures hit
the high 20s and beyond this summer. The first three safety tips
relate directly to use of the car's air conditioning system.
- Keep cool and stay alert: Studies suggest that ambient
temperatures above 22°C could cause drowsiness and dull drivers'
alertness[1], but nearly half (49 percent) of European
drivers do not turn on the air conditioning until the temperature
has hit 28°C.
One study has shown that at 27°C degrees driver reaction times are
22 percent slower than at 21°C[2]. So setting the car's
air conditioning to a comfortable and safe 21-22°C helps keep
drivers cool, alert and responsive.
- Clear the air: Although nearly half of European drivers
(48 percent) do not know it, car air conditioning systems remove up
to 88% of the pollen and other allergens in the outside
air[3]. So turn on the air conditioning to help keep
drivers sneeze- and headache-free.
- See clearly: When driving at higher altitudes or in
mountains, the outside temperature can rapidly drop, causing
condensation to build up on the windscreen and impairing
visibility. Although one in five (20 percent) European drivers is
not aware, turning on the air conditioning quickly and effectively
removes moisture and condensation from the windscreen, allowing
drivers to maintain optimum visibility of the road.
- Take a break: While it is tempting to keep driving for
long stretches in order to reach your destination more quickly,
driver fatigue is a major risk factor, causing as many as one in
every three road accidents. In addition to keeping the cabin
temperature below 22°C to increase alertness, remember to take at
least a five-minute break for every two hours of driving. If you
feel tiredness is taking you over, then pull over and rest up for
at least 15 to 20 minutes.
- Stretch your legs and arms and back: When you
take a break, find a safe place to park your car and step outside
to stretch completely. This helps maintain alertness and wards off
fatigue.
- Limit your speed: Driving at higher speeds requires
greater concentration and causes drivers to tire more easily.
Speeding is also a major cause of accidents. Limiting your speed is
not only good for you, it's good for the environment, too. Speeding
does not pay off - not only is it illegal, it does not save that
much time: on a distance of 120km, driving at 150kmh instead of
120kmh saves a little over 10 minutes.
- Stick to the rules: Knowing and respecting the rules of
the road is a key factor in ensuring road safety. Many Europeans
will be crossing national borders on their long holiday drives this
summer. It is important that you are completely familiar with the
rules of the road in the countries in which you are driving. They
may be different from those at home.
- Be equipped: In the unfortunate event of a roadside
breakdown, it is important to remain highly visible to other
drivers, so ensure you are equipped with a safety kit before you
set out - in many cases it's the law!
- Do not use your phone: If you must make a
call when driving, use a hands-free set. If you do not have one,
pull over when it is safe to do so to make that call. And never
text and drive!
- And never, ever, drink and drive: It may go without
saying, but it bears repeating - even if some countries allow a
minimum blood-alcohol level, play it safe and never, ever, drink
and drive.
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1. https://indoor.lbl.gov/sites/all/files/lbnl-60946.pdf
2.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00140139608964434#.VRVU9OETwiA
3. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2334/10/146
About the survey
The online survey conducted by ORC International polled 2,501
respondents ages 18 or older who drive a car. Of these, 501 were
from the UK and 500 each from France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Survey respondents were selected
from an online panel. Data collection occurred between 17 and
24 June 2015.
Safety-Related Findings:
- More than one in three European drivers (35 percent) does not
know that using the air conditioning can prevent drowsiness. That
figure climbs to more than four in 10 drivers in Germany (44 percent) and over half of all
drivers in France (51
percent).
- When they do use the air conditioning, half of all European
drivers do not put it on until the ambient temperature has hit 28°C
- when it is already far too hot according to studies. Those
studies suggest that task performance is optimal at 21-22°C and
decreases at 23°C and above[4], and that at 27°C driver
reaction times are 22 percent slower than at
21°C.[5]
- One in five European drivers (20 percent) is not aware that the
air conditioning helps remove moisture from the windshield, a
critical safety feature of air conditioning. French and U.K.
drivers are the most sceptical, with almost quarter not believing
air conditioning can remove windscreen moisture (24 percent and 23
percent respectively).
- Nearly half of European drivers (48 percent) were unaware that
using the air conditioning reduces exposure to pollen, other
airborne allergens and ambient pollution. In fact more than half of
European drivers (53 percent) erroneously think that air
conditioners re-circulate germs and pollutants in the car.
- Nearly one in five Europeans (19 percent) say they prefer to
drive with the window open in slow-moving traffic and when driving
off motorways. But a 2010 study shows that car air conditioning can
reduce the total number of microorganisms by 81.7 percent, the
number of mold spores by 83.3 percent, and the number of particles
by 87.8 percent.
Air Conditioning Most Popular Optional Extra Among
European Drivers
- Air conditioning remains the favourite optional extra for
European drivers: More than half (54 percent) said they would be
willing to pay for it if it were not included. This is
significantly more than those who said they would pay for a
navigation system (38 percent), parking assistance (36 percent) or
parking cameras (31 percent).
Environmental Benefits
- European Union's Mobile Air conditioning Directive is phasing
out the previous refrigerant used in car air conditioning systems
that has a greenhouse effect 1,300 more powerful than
CO2. When asked by how much a new replacement
refrigerant - Honeywell's Solstice® yf - cut the air
conditioning's global warming potential, only 2 percent of
respondents correctly estimated that the reduction on the old
refrigerant is of 99.9 percent.
- Today there are over 5 million cars on the road using
Solstice® yf, reducing CO2 emissions by roughly 3
million tonnes or the equivalent of carbon sequestered by 10
thousand square kilometres of trees, nearly six times the size of
London.
Survey Disclaimer: As survey respondents were
selected from among those who have volunteered to participate in
online surveys and polls, no estimates of sampling error can be
calculated. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to
multiple sources of error, including, but not limited to sampling
error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error
associated with question wording and response options, and
post-survey weighting and adjustments. Detailed results of the
survey can be found here: http://www.1234facts.com.
Honeywell (http://www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100
diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers
worldwide with aerospace products and services; control
technologies for buildings, homes, and industry; turbochargers;
and performance materials. For more news and
information on Honeywell, please visit
http://www.honeywellnow.com.
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4. https://indoor.lbl.gov/sites/all/files/lbnl-60946.pdf
5.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00140139608964434#.VRVU9OETwiA
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statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or
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SOURCE Honeywell