Wake Up Call: New Technology Fights Driver Fatigue
Effective Control Transport, a Montreal-based company, has developed a new system called Driver's Mate that monitors a driver’s level of alertness and takes corrective action if it falls below a predetermined baseline level. The device mounts onto a dashboard and may be retrofitted onto virtually any type of vehicle.
Driver's Mate uses a camera to monitor 534 points on the driver’s face and rates his or her condition on a scale of completely alert to technically asleep. If the system detects that the driver is not paying a safe level of attention, it will sound off an alarm and will also contact a dispatcher.
As a Traffic Court Magistrate, I appreciate any new technology that makes our roads safer! The problem of drivers falling asleep behind the wheel is huge but it sometimes gets lost behind drunk driving and driving while texting. Unfortunately, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 56,000 crashes every year are caused by sleepy drivers. We all need to take active steps to cut down on accidents that are so avoidable!
