In the absence of strict liability, adequate policing of the roads and robust sentencing, it appears to have fallen to car manufacturers to reduce road danger. Jaguar Land Rover aims to reduce the number of crashes caused by daydreaming drivers by monitoring their brainwaves for signs of stress, fatigue and lack of concentration.
Daydreaming drivers
Project ‘Sixth Sense’ also monitors the driver’s heart rate, respiration and levels of brain activity to assess performance and identify daydreaming drivers.
Dr Wolfgang Epple, Jaguar Land Rover Director of Research and Technology, said: “One key piece of new research is to see how we could measure brainwaves to monitor if the driver is alert and concentrating on driving. Even if the eyes are on the road, a lack of concentration or a daydream will mean the driver isn’t paying attention to the driving task. They may miss a warning icon or sound, or be less aware of other road users so we are looking at how we could identify this and prevent it causing an accident.”
By continually monitoring brainwaves, Land Rover believes an on-board computer could assess whether a driver is focused, daydreaming, sleepy, or distracted.
“If brain activity indicates a daydream or poor concentration, then the steering wheel or pedals could vibrate to raise the driver’s awareness and re-engage them with driving,” explains Dr Epple.
A logical extension of this technology would be for the car being driven by someone with poorly performing brain waves to be brought to a safe stop.
ETA breakdown cover
As well as being 100% carbon neutral, breakdown cover from the ETA offers an unparallelled level of service. Every breakdown customer receives free Auto Repair cover worth £65. This covers you up to £500 against the costs of repairs following a breakdown. No other breakdown cover provides this level of reassurance, which we believe should come as standard.
Established over 24 years ago, and with over 5,000 recovery trucks on call 24/7, we have a proven track record of providing efficient, reliable breakdown cover.
We handpick only the best local mechanics and garages around Britain to send out if you break down. We believe this way of working is efficient, environmentally friendly and helps supports local communities and economies, too.
On top of this, we offset the carbon emissions of the recovery trucks that go out to assist you, reducing the impact your breakdown has on our environment. Every breakdown policy you buy helps fund the work of our charity, the ETA Trust, which we set up in 1994 to campaign for a safer, cleaner transport future.
1 Comment View now