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GÖTEBORG,
Sweden (November 30, 2005) – Volvo Car Corporation is taking a
decisive new step toward "Active Safety" (helping
drivers avoid vehicle collisions) with its new Volvo Driver Alert
system. The technology is designed to monitor a vehicle’s
progress on the road and alert the driver if it detects signs of
fatigue or distraction. The system does not take control of the
vehicle; the system helps drivers make the right decision.
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Volvo Cars intends to patent the
Driver Alert technology, and make the system available in Volvo
vehicles within two years.
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Driver fatigue is a major traffic
safety problem. According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately 100,000 collisions
are caused every year on U.S. highways by drivers who fall asleep.
Of that number, fifteen hundred of the accidents result in
fatalities and a further 71,000 lead to physical injuries.
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Based on the statistics from NHTSA,
the company’s own research and other sources, Volvo Cars
recognized a need for the Driver Alert system. The company’s
goal was to ensure the system would only activate where the risk
of falling asleep is the greatest and where a collision would have
severe consequences. For example, a straight, smooth road has the
potential to lull a driver into a relaxed state while traveling at
a high speed. The system is activated at speeds above 40 mph and
remains active until speeds fall below approximately 37 mph.
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Registers what’s happening on the road
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Driver
Alert monitors the vehicle’s movement to determine if the
vehicle is being driven in a controlled way. This method is unique
among vehicle manufacturers and it is designed to be reliable in a
variety of circumstances.
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“We have chosen to monitor the
vehicle’s progress on the road instead of steering wheel input
or the driver’s eye movements,” explains Dr Wolfgang Birk,
project manager for Driver Alert at Volvo Cars. “This gives us a
more reliable indication if something is likely to go wrong,
allowing the system time to alert the driver before it is too
late. We do not monitor human behavior – which varies from one
person to another – but instead the system monitors the effect
of that behavior. That is why there is less of a risk for false
alarms.”
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The system also warns if the driver
loses concentration for a reason other than fatigue. The system
can detect if the driver is focusing too much on the navigation or
audio systems or children in the vehicle, issuing an audible and
visual alert before control is lost.
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Text messages, audible warnings and star ratings
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Technically,
Driver Alert consists of a camera, a number of sensors and a
processor. The camera, which is installed between the windscreen
and the rear-view mirror, continuously measures the distance
between the vehicle and the markings on the surface of the road.
The sensors register the vehicle movements while the processor
stores the information and calculates whether the driver is at
risk. If the risk is assessed as high, the driver is alerted via
an audible signal and a text message appears in the vehicle’s
information display.
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What’s more, the driver can
retrieve a safety rating about their driving style, based on
consistency of performance. Included in the vehicle’s trip
computer, a display will provide the driver a rating, based on
five stars. The less consistent the driving, the fewer stars
illuminate.
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“Driver Alert should not be
confused with a system that alerts the driver if a lane marker is
breached without activating a turn signal,” says Birk. Driver
Alert monitors the way the vehicle is being driven and alerts the
driver to their actions, rather than the vehicle’s position
relative to a lane marker. In fact, Driver Alert will respond
without the vehicle even crossing a lane marker.
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Birk explains that Driver Alert has
been tested both in vehicles and in simulators, with excellent
results and high dependability. “During our tests, the system
never once missed a driver who was falling asleep at the wheel,”
says Birk. “Nonetheless, we will continue to test and fine-tune
the system until Driver Alert is offered to Volvo customers. We
expect it to be available within two years.”
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