New Warning Sysem Will Reduce 300 Road Deaths Each Year

Saturday, 13. December 2008

Mercedes are set to launch Attention Assist in its new E Class next year. This new system will help drivers to combat tiredness whilst driving and will put Mercedes at the forefront of this new technology. They expect to have the new system available throughout its range over the next 2 to 3 years. The system uses highly sensitive sensors to detect patterns in steering wheel and vehicle movement that are outside the usual style of the driver. Engineers have found the sudden corrections made by all drivers as they become more drowsy are remarkably similar and increase in magnitude the more drowsy they become. The system builds up a picture over the first 20 – 30 minutes of driving, it can then personalise the drowsy behaviour and sound a warning along with a warning light. Mercedes claim that Attention Assist can also detect distraction, another big killer. As the system picks up changes in driving patterns they believe that it could also detect a drunk driver but this is a claim they won’t be using as it may lead to drivers incorrectly believing they are fit to drive. Road safety charity Brake suggests that 300 people die each year as a result of drivers falling asleep at the wheel. They also point out that the severity of crashes involving drivers who fall asleep at the wheel tend to be very high. Crashes that result from a driver falling asleep tend to be more severe because the driver falls asleep and fails to brake at all making the crash a high speed crash. Having said this road safety experts have warned that these systems should not replace common sense and lead to drivers believing that they can drive when feeling drowsy or drive for longer without taking a break. By Graham Hill