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Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Motorcycles nowadays are commonly used as primary mode of transportation.

According to Zainudin, Salleh and Eng (2011), there is an exponential growth in

motorcycle use in Philippines and other Asian countries. Most riders find it cheaper and

more convenient to own than a car as it is faster than other modes of transportation on

very congested roads especially during heavy traffic or rush hours. However, these

vehicles are more dangerous than the regular four wheeler since it is more likely to be

involved in serious accidents because of the physical susceptibility of the driver and

passenger.

In the Philippines, there is an increase number of fatalities in motorcycle-related

accidents (Gagalac, 2016). The Motorcycle Development Program Participants

Association (MDPPA) has recorded that in Metro Manila, there is an average of 66

accidents daily, with almost half of the total number of accident victims losing their lives.

The common causes of motorcycle accidents are drunk driving, not wearing helmet, and

over speeding. The Miley Legal Group (2016) stated that nearly one-third of all traffic-

related deaths were attributed to motorcycle accidents caused by driving without helmet

and drunk driving and over speeding. In the 2015 report on road safety, the World

Health Organization said that 1.25 million people have died globally due to motorcycle

accidents comprising 23% of deaths (Francisco, 2015).

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Another problem is the lack of road discipline as MDPPA Vice Chairman Magnus

Mateo (2016) emphasized that there are drivers who do not have skills to drive and yet

when they are on the street, they act as if they know everything. Some riders are

violating traffic laws such as, driving without helmet, driving under the influence of

alcohol, and over speeding that contribute to the problem of motorcycle safety. The use

of cellular phone while driving, bad overtaking, bad turning and mechanical defects are

also some of the causes of motorcycle accidents.

Even if the Philippines has laws like avoiding drink and drive, making helmet

compulsory and regulating speed limit, still everyones doing it. Consuming alcohol

before driving greatly increases the risk of motorcycle accidents, injuries and even death.

The main reason is because alcohol is a depressant that slows down the function of

central nervous system that affects ones cognitive skills and psychomotor skills.

Furthermore, not wearing helmet poses a risk to riders, since they are vulnerable to

sustain head and neck injuries due to lack of physical protection while merging in and out

of traffic and fast moving vehicles.

Because of these accidents encountered by the motorcycle riders, some of their

relative are not aware about the incident and location where the riders is involved since

there is no existing means to notify the relative immediately right after the incident has

happened. With that, it contributes to the delay in emergency response to the victim and

sometimes authorities are notifying the relative after their immediate action is made.
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Recent studies showed that usage of helmet can save riders from accidents by

30% to 40% (Padmapriya, 2015). Considering the problems presented at present, the

researcher is motivated to develop a helmet with Infrared and Alcohol Gas Sensor (AGS)

with Accelerometer, GPS and GSM technologies linked to a microcontroller. These

technologies are used for the safety of motorcycle riders and might be the answer to the

emerging issues at present.

Objectives of the Study

The general objective of the study is to develop a sensor-based helmet with

accelerometer, GPS and GSM technologies for the safety of motorcycle rider.

Specifically, it aims to:

1. Design a circuit to modify the function of a helmet with the following

characteristic:

a. Determine if the driver has properly worn the helmet;

b. Monitor the level of alcohol toxicity of the driver; and

c. Send notification with the exact location of the driver to relatives in case

of emergency/ accident and if the driver has reached the tolerable level of

alcohol toxicity;

2. Fabricate a system using infrared sensor, AGS, Accelerometer, GPS and GSM

technologies linked to a microcontroller;

3. Test the functionality and reliability of the prototype; and

4. Evaluate the performance of the prototype using the TUP Evaluation Instrument.
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Scope and Limitations of the Study

This study will focus on design, fabrication, testing and evaluation of a sensor-

based helmet using infrared and AGS for the safety of motorcycle rider. An

accelerometer, GPS and GSM technologies linked to a microcontroller is also included in

the prototype. In this system, the engine of the motorcycle will not start if any of the two

conditions are violated by the rider, namely: 1) if the driver is not wearing the helmet

detected by infrared; and 2) if the driver is under the influence of alcohol detected by

AGS. In addition, the system will also notify the relatives of the rider for the exact

location of the motorcycle via GPS through SMS via GSM if the driver is under the

influence of alcohol or the motorcycle fell on the ground for more than fifteen seconds as

detected by Accelerometer.

This study is limited for the development of the prototype graphical user interface

for registration of the contact number to the system, the registration of the contact

number is hardcoded, and the strength of the GPS signal is depending on the location.