Guardian has eyes on driver fatigue

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The rule is to keep your eyes on the road, and the new Guardian system from Seeing Machines will ensure drivers are doing just that.

The new system includes forward- and rear-facing cameras, monitoring a driver’s face and sounding an alarm if eyes close more than 1.5 seconds or look away for three to four seconds. The infrared cameras will even peer through dark sunglasses.

The in-cab processor only records information when an event is noticed. In addition to the audible alarm, fleets can spec’ a motor that vibrates the seat to grab the driver’s attention. The video is also sent to a central SafeGuard Center, which notifies a fleet within two minutes to see if they want to recommend any other action such as a rest break.

“It’s not CCTV, says Mirza Kozarcanin, senior vice president – global business development. “It doesn’t record and store video of the driver continuously. It’s only shared when there is an event.”

But plenty of those events exist. Company data shows that a fatigue-related event tends to occur every 580 kilometers, while drivers tend to be distracted every 70 kilometers, he says.

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John G. Smith is Newcom Media's vice-president - editorial, and the editorial director of its trucking publications -- including Today's Trucking, trucknews.com, and Transport Routier. The award-winning journalist has covered the trucking industry since 1995.


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