DistTech testing driver fatigue monitor
Oct 1, 2004 12:00 PM
Distribution Technologies Inc (DistTech), a provider of dedicated contract carriage, common carriage and logistics services, and returnable container management, is testing a driver fatigue monitor with its fleet drivers based at the company's terminal in Neville Island PA.
The company has installed the Driver Fatigue Monitor (DFM), marketed by Pittsburgh PA-based Attention Technology Inc, in eight vehicles. The DFM, which mounts on the dashboard to the right of the steering wheel, has a compact video-based sensor that measures slow eyelid closure associated with drowsiness. If the DFM identifies that the driver is drowsy, the unit sounds an audible alert.
“Driver fatigue is difficult for drivers to notice because it builds slowly over an hour or so,” said Dr Richard Grace, founder and chief executive officer of Attention Technology. “The DFM can alert drivers to impending fatigue an hour before a potentially dangerous situation. Our device is the result of more than 10 years of research, design, and testing at Carnegie Mellon University and has been validated by the United States Department of Transportation as being able to accurately measure drowsiness.”
DistTech is evaluating the DFM based on driver feedback and acceptance and is considering installing the unit in all its vehicles. The initial response from the drivers testing the device in Neville Island has been overwhelmingly positive. Because the DFM is portable and can be mounted in minutes, some of the drivers are also using the units in their cars on the way to and from the terminal, especially at night.
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