Driver drowsiness detection is a car safety technology which helps prevent accidents caused by the driver getting drowsy. Various studies have suggested that around 20% of all road accidents are fatigue-related, up to 50% on certain roads. Drowsiness can impair a driver’s mental stability, reducing their ability to make sound decisions and potentially leading to physical harm and financial losses for both the driver and passengers. Some of the current systems learn driver patterns and can detect when a driver is becoming drowsy.

Technology

Various technologies can be used to try to detect driver drowsiness.

Steering pattern monitoring

Primarily uses steering input from electric power steering system. Monitoring a driver this way only works as long as a driver actually steers a vehicle actively instead of using an automatic lane-keeping system.

Vehicle position in lane monitoring

Uses a lane monitoring camera. Monitoring a driver this way only works as long as a driver actually steers a vehicle actively instead of using an automatic lane-keeping system.

Driver eye/face monitoring

Uses computer vision to observe the driver's face, either using a built-in camera or on mobile devices.

Physiological measurement

Requires body sensors to measure parameters like brain activity, heart rate, skin conductance, muscle activity, head movements etc...

Systems

Regulation

In European Union, regulation (EU) 2019/2144 regulates the driver monitoring system. "driver drowsiness and attention warning means a system that assesses the driver’s alertness through vehicle systems analysis and warns the driver if needed" "Driver drowsiness and attention warning and advanced driver distraction warning systems shall be designed in such a way that those systems do not continuously record nor retain any data other than what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which they were collected or otherwise processed within the closed-loop system. Furthermore, those data shall not be accessible or made available to third parties at any time and shall be immediately deleted after processing. Those systems shall also be designed to avoid overlap and shall not prompt the driver separately and concurrently or in a confusing manner where one action triggers both systems."