Asleep at the wheel - new technologies to help drivers stay awake

Thatcham say... 

"Driver fatigue and distraction are two major risk factors affecting road safety. Drowsiness affects the rational decision making process. This means that drivers themselves are particularly bad at deciding when they are too tired to drive. 

Research performed at the Loughborough University Sleep Research Centre, investigating driver drowsiness on selected UK motorway and trunk roads, found that one quarter of all crashes on these roads that subsequently caused death or serious injury were sleep related. They also reported that 17% of all road crashes resulting in injury or death were sleep related. 

The German Insurance Association, GDV, estimates that 25% of all fatal crashes on German Autobahns are caused by driver fatigue. 

Currently, at least one fatal sleep related crash occurs per day in the UK.

When driving, a host of potential in-vehicle and external distractions also vie for the driver’s attention; audio and navigation systems, climate control systems, mobile phone usage, eating and drinking, passengers and children, roads, signage, other road users, scenery, advertising etc.

A US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) study monitoring the driving of 100 cars over a period of 13 months in the United States found that 78% of crashes and 65% of near crashes had some form of inattention or distraction as a contributory factor.

Modest alcohol intake (around half the UK legal driving limit, undetectable by police roadside breathalysers) exacerbates driving impairment due to sleepiness, an effect that is particularly evident in young men.

Studies by Volvo show up to 90% of all traffic accidents are caused by driver distraction and 20% of fatal road accidents are caused by driver fatigue.

To address this, Volvo developed Driver Alert Control which alerts tired and distracted drivers that their concentration level is affected. Similarly, Mercedes-Benz Attention Assist warns drivers when the onset of drowsiness is detected. Both systems alert the driver in a similar fashion when drowsiness is detected; an audible warning is given and a coffee cup symbol and a short message encouraging them to take a break from driving is shown on the dashboard display.

Mercedes- Benz identified steering behaviour as the key indicator of drowsiness. In driving simulator trials it was identified that drowsy drivers found it difficult to steer a precise course in their lane, and made minor steering errors that were often corrected quickly and abruptly. These effects occurred at a very early stage as drowsiness developed, often before the dangerous situation in which the driver falls asleep momentarily. Mercedes-Benz Attention Assist monitors the driver’s steering inputs along with numerous other vehicle parameters including speed, lateral and longitudinal acceleration, use of the turn indicators, pedals and certain control inputs, to determine an individual driver behaviour pattern during the first few minutes of every journey.The current steering behaviour and driving situation are then continuously referenced against this initial pattern to identify the typical factors indicating the floating transition from alertness to drowsiness. The system is active at speeds between 50 and 113mph (80 and 180kmh).

More...