Texting while driving is one of the major causes of road accidents worldwide and the statistics are staggering; report says 1.6 million road crashes happen every year in the US as a result of this, and in Nigeria 11, 363 road accidents were recorded in the year 2016. Loss of control and dangerous driving accounted for 15.43% of these accidents in Nigeria and this can be related to texting while driving.
Engineering researchers at the University of Waterloo, Canada have developed computer algorithms that can accurately determine when motor drivers are texting while driving or engaged in any distracting activity. The system which is AI-based uses camera and can detect irregular distractions such as hand movements and then classifies them as possible threats.
Speaking on the software innovation, Fakhri Karray, a Reearch Chair and director of the Centre for Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence (CPAMI), Waterloo said, “The car could actually take over driving, if there was imminent danger, even for a short while, in order to avoid crashes”. He also said the AI would alert drivers when they are distracted when driving which would in turn trigger counter measures.
The AI- based software is made possible on extensive research work at CPAMI on signs such as blinking, head and face positioning which is borne out of concerns that drivers are in danger of falling asleep when holding the wheel.
Ongoing research work at the University is checking how sensors can be used to measure reflex signs like eye-blinking and heart-rate variability to help put drivers in check in case of distractions when driving.