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Asleep at the wheel? No way with Mercedes-Benz new safety technology
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So, let’s say you’re driving along the interstate and you start yawning, missing exits or spacing out? And let’s say that your car blurts out a beep and a picture of an espresso cup plus the message “time for a rest” in the instrument cluster. Wouldn’t you pull over? Of course you would!
That ‘wake up’ program we’re talking about—the beep, the picture and the message—was created by Mercedes-Benz. Aptly named ATTENTION ASSIST, the drowsiness-detection system is standard equipment on the new 2010 E-Class.
Drowsy driving is one of biggest traffic safety problems in the US according to a National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep in America poll.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that drowsy driving causes more than 100,000 police-reported crashes, resulting in 1,550 deaths and another 71,000 injuries each year. And New Jersey is currently the only state that criminalizes drowsy driving.
After studying the physiological indicators that occur when fatigue becomes a factor using a group of over 550 male and female drivers, Mercedes-Benz concluded that drowsy drivers have trouble steering a precise course in their lane, making minor steering errors that are often corrected quickly and abruptly. This effect occurs at an early stage when drowsiness kicks in – often before the dangerous microsleep phase. ?
Using this research, the company developed ATTENTION ASSIST which is standard on the 2010 E-Class. The system has highly sensitive sensors that continuously monitor and observe the driver’s behavior across 70 different parameters. For example, a steering angle sensor recognizes patterns of minor steering corrections, a very strong measure of the driver’s condition. Once the system recognizes a drowsy driving pattern it emits an audible and visible warning in the form of an espresso cup icon and “time for a rest” message in the instrument cluster.
?
We asked National Sleep Foundation for their top ten drowsy driving warning signs. The following signs indicate that it’s time to stop driving and find a safe place to pull over and reassess your condition:
• Rolling down the window or turning up the radio in order to stay awake
• Difficulty focusing, frequent blinking and/or heavy eyelids
• Trouble keeping your head up
• Drifting from your lane, swerving, tailgating and/or hitting rumble strips
• Unable to maintain a consistent and safe speed
• Unable to clearly remember the last few miles driven
• Missing exits or traffic signs
• Yawning repeatedly
• Slowed reaction time
• Feeling restless, irritable, or aggressive
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