Reducing Human Error Road Accidents with Automotive Technology

Human error in road accidents is estimated at 94 percent, making mistakes by drivers a major concern for public safety. In order to get a better idea on what a driver is thinking, intelligent systems that can monitor a driver’s state of mind and behavior are promising in promoting safer roadways.

By incorporating technologies, such as sensors, data fusion, machine learning, and user feedback, into cars, understanding a driver’s driving context is improved. This brings us one step closer to semi-automated and fully-automated vehicles.

In order to address driving safety concerns and automated vehicles, EU-funded VI-DAS is currently developing enhanced driving scene models integrated with driver behavior. The company will also develop technology required to analyze the driver’s state to improve safety and efficiency.

VI-DAS is designing 720-degree connected advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) on scene analysis and driver status.

“The project is addressing the goals of improved road safety by developing and deploying ADAS and navigation aids in a societally acceptable and personalized manner,” says project coordinator Dr Oihana Otaegui. “This will be based on both the global understanding of a traffic scene and consideration of the driver’s physical, mental, demographic, and behavioral state.”

Their current focus is on completing the development and integration of alpha and beta VI-DAS prototypes. They first started by outlining driver needs, requirements, and the system architecture. Then, they focused on research and technological development activities for the main modules of the VI-DAS system. The modules provided an analysis of the driver’s situation context and includes Sense, for both outside and inside the vehicle, Understand, Decide and Check, Connect and Cooperate, Assist and Act, and Risk.

Once they defined the modules, the team developed testing and validation for the first prototype. The outputs in this prototype, served as inputs for the second prototype, consisting of an integrated feature-ready system deployed on a simulation environment.

Currently, they are on their third and final prototype.

DrOtaegui says, “We’re addressing a set of real challenges for the automotive industry, including reliably assessing the driver’s condition, evaluating danger after gathering information about surroundings at any given time and adapting behavior accordingly, adapting legislation to fully automated transport, as well as standardizing an approach to risk assessment in the insurance sector.”

The prototype will be revealed during the European ITS Congress in June 2019 in the Netherlands.

“VI-DAS is positioned to accelerate the development and inclusion of ADAS and navigation aids in vehicles while considering the driver’s mental state and behavior when responding to everyday traffic conditions” Dr Otaegui says.