PROPOSED LEGISLATION SEEKS REGULATORS TO MANDATE INSTALLATION OF DRIVER MONITORING SYSTEMS
The problem of distracted driving is only increasing with the proliferation of ‘driver assistance’ technologies — new legislation and a technology company want drivers to be safer on the road.
Washington D.C.—Advanced Driver-Assist Systems (ADAS) and automated vehicle technology have been in the news spotlight recently, most notably involving Teslas and its Autopilot. At least three Tesla drivers have died since 2016 in crashes in which Autopilot was engaged and failed to detect obstacles in the road, as well as driver overdependence on ADAS, according to a July 5 New York Times report.
Those accidents and others have brought up questions on how ADAS are regulated in the United States and ways to stop drivers from misusing the systems and stopping driver distractions, such as cell phone use. Three U.S. senators have introduced legislation, “Stay Aware for Everyone (SAFE) Act,” that has recently passed the House and will be taken up in the Senate, and will likely be up for reconciliation, said Ann Wilson, who is senior vice president of Government Affairs for the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA).
“This month will be critical,” Wilson told MOTOR.
Sponsored by Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), the legislation, broadly speaking, would require regulators to mandate the installation of driver monitoring systems (DMS) to ensure drivers are paying attention to the road.
According to an April 26 news release from Sen. Markey’s office, the Stay Aware for Everyone (SAFE) Act “will tackle the threat of distracted driving, a problem that is only increasing with the proliferation of ‘driver assistance’ technologies that can encourage complacency if misused on the road.”
“The SAFE Act will specifically require the DOT to study how driver-monitoring systems can prevent driver distraction, driver disengagement, automation complacency and the foreseeable misuse of advanced driver-assist systems. The legislation also requires a rulemaking to mandate the installation of driver-monitoring systems based on the results of this study, which shall incorporate appropriate privacy and data security safeguards.”
Chris Piche is the founder of Smarter AI, a developer of AI dashcams
An Artificial Intelligence Dashcam Solution
Chris Piche, a computer scientist and technology entrepreneur, is the founder of Smarter AI, which develops artificial intelligence (AI) cameras and enablement software, including software-defined dashcams.
“I’ve had a front-row seat to how quickly technology transformation can lead to a market disruption,” Piche told MOTOR.
In the same way that smartphones had outpaced BlackBerry phones with the ability to enable numerous different uses, he said AI cameras will also soon become a reality. “AI cameras can understand what’s happening around them in real time, rather than needing a user to download video and view it later — it opens up all kinds of use cases that weren’t previously possible.”
Three years ago, Piche set out to develop an “Android” or “iOS”-type software for cameras. “Smartphones are used in so many situations now that didn’t apply to the old feature phones. Basically, I created the software platform that would enable AI cameras to be used in all kinds of places — including the transportation market.
“What started as a problem of driver distraction with multi-tasking, has now become worse with ADAS and driver automation features. Some people now aren’t even spending half of their attention on the road – just completely oblivious as to what’s happening around them.”
An interesting use for AI cameras in transportation is driver monitoring, he said. Are they texting while driving, looking in the wrong direction, are their eyes closed? As a result, Smarter AI has chosen transportation as its first vertical business market. “There’s a big opportunity — and a compelling one — to improve the safety of driving through the use of AI cameras.”
Aside from potential government regulations, there’s also opportunity in the private business sector, such as the “Amazon” and “FedEx”-type companies that manage ever-larger fleets, Piche added. “They’ll have the potential to optimize and maximize the safety of their drivers.”
Smarter AI’s system is designed for commercial vehicle fleets. The most basic part of the technology uses computer vision, and based on the video that’s captured on the camera, it can read whether a driver is texting, wearing a seat belt, eating, etc. The system also supports sensor fusion, which, in addition to running computer-vision algorithms, can also check different sensor values at the same time.
“We know, for example, if you are sending a text message while the vehicle is operating at 60 miles an hour versus being stationary. They are two totally different behaviors, and by supporting sensor fusion we can eliminate potential false positives.
“It’s up to each commercial fleet to use that information as they see fit.”
The new legislation, Piche said, calls for vehicle manufacturers to integrate new AI camera technology in their cars, effective a few years from now. Smarter AI’s goal is to be an integral puzzle piece for OEMs to use its software installed on OEMs’ cameras. Presently, Smarter AI has its own cameras for the aftermarket.
“ADAS technology is extremely beneficial and increases safety on the roads. Once ADAS is widely deployed enough, there’s potential to have it also help alleviate traffic congestion. But we’re in a transition period as ADAS and automated technologies are being adopted, and while they can be an improvement over human drivers, it’s far from foolproof as it stands today.”
https://www.motor.com/2021/07/proposed-legislation-seeks-regulators-to-mandate-installation-of-driver-monitoring-systems/
