Smart Steering Wheel Detects Driver Drowsiness
We've already seen systems that detect driver fatigue via steering wheel movements or by analyzing drivers' faces. German engineering firm Hoffman and Krippner, in cooperation with Guttersberg Consulting, has now developed what its designers believe is a better alternative – a fatigue-sensing steering wheel add-on that tracks the driver's grip.
The technology is based on the fact that when people drive and are reasonably alert, they're constantly applying pressure to the wheel and/or moving their hands along it. If someone should fall asleep, have a heart attack or otherwise lose consciousness, that pressure will lessen and their hands will move less.
The actual device consists of a thin strip of sensors developed by Guttersberg Consulting that is applied to the inside rim of a manufacturer's existing steering wheel, beneath the leather (or other) covering. That "Sensofoil" strip is made up of thin layers of foil, that have a weak electrical current running through them.
Why Self-Driving Cars Will Raise Your Taxes
Once autonomous driving cars become prevalent in the not-too-distant future, we’ll all be able to read, watch videos and text message to our hearts’ content – safely, that is – while en route to a given destination, and probably enjoy lower insurance rates due to the resulting drop in accidents caused by human error.
Though the numbers couldn't be verified elsewhere, according to the venerable Statistic Brain Research Institute, American drivers pay over $6 billion a year in speeding tickets alone.
Senate Committee’s No Vote Incenses Lawmakers Seeking Auto Safety Reforms
The push to impose criminal penalties on auto executives who fail to disclose deadly automobile defects hit another roadblock last week when a Senate committee voted down such a proposal.
Lawmakers and safety advocates who were pushing to institute criminal penalties for such behavior expressed dismay as that and a series of other auto safety reforms — including barring used-car dealers from selling vehicles with unrepaired recalls — also failed to proceed.
“Hiding these deadly defects with near impunity is what the industry has succeeded in doing,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, who introduced several provisions that were voted down.
CALSTART’s Van Amburg: Improve Your Fleet’s Bottom Line and Environmental Footprint
By Mike Sheldrick
At the recent NAFA I&E in Orlando, we got a chance to sit down with CALSTART senior vice president Bill Van Amburg to learn about the NAFA Sustainable Fleet Accreditation Program, developed in collaboration with CALSTART.
Van Amburg says, “It will really give fleets the tools, the recognition and the way to measure their progress. This is what will help drive continuous improvement in the fleet world both for being more efficient and in having a smaller environmental footprint. This program gets you in at the ground floor if you are just starting out, shows you where you are and then equips you to make some smart choices to start improving both your bottom line and your environmental footprint.”
Establishing Baselines When Monitoring Drivers
In order to appropriately monitor your drivers, it’s important to establish a baseline, so that you’re able to get the information you need.
