While natural disasters are often widely reported by the media, car accidents that happen on a daily basis are often not reported, unless the case is very serious. In fact, according to research, 1.35 million people are killed on the road across the world on a yearly basis, with approximately 3,700 individuals losing their lives on a daily basis. Therefore, it is crucial to improve the safety of individuals on the road, especially when the accidents can be avoided with greater caution and vigilance.
One of the systems that could potentially greatly reduce the number of road incidents would be the driver monitoring system (DMS), which utilised infrared rays to monitor the driver’s responses. This system constantly monitors the driver’s state of vigilance and attentiveness, such that the driver will be alerted when he or she shows any signs of drowsiness or fatigue. In partially automated vehicles, the system could also notify the driver when a handover to the automated system is required, which would reduce the likelihood of accidents due to driver’s inattention. Furthermore, DMS could detect and alert the driver when he or she is distracted, thereby reducing his or her probability of missing a traffic sign or knocking over a pedestrian in the blind spot.
While the rate of adoption of DMS had accelerated in the US due to the recommendation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the rate of adoption across other parts of the world, including Singapore, remained slow. With DMS having the capability to improve road safety, thereby reducing the number of road incidents, it is expected that the industry will be a booming industry in the near future.
References:
https://www.valeo.com/en/driver-monitoring/