- Over two thirds of survey respondents (70%) believe that
in-vehicle Driver Monitoring Systems can improve road safety and
help reduce accidents caused by distracted or fatigued drivers
- However, 72% of UK consumers have little to no knowledge of
this new technology, which is becoming mandatory for carmakers to
install around the world and is present in Ford's
Bluecruise-equipped Mustang Mach-E vehicles that have been approved
for use on the motorway network in Great
Britain
- Drivers in London are more
likely than the national average to believe that DMS would make
them a better, more attentive driver
- Young drivers are more likely to agree that DMS would make them
a better, more attentive driver, compared to older drivers
CANBERRA, Australia,
May 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As
hands-free driving technology is given approval for use on the
motorway network in Great Britain
for the first time, Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS) inside the
vehicle that use eye-tracking cameras to check driver
attentiveness, are rapidly becoming a key tool for governments and
carmakers seeking to prevent road accidents.
However, the results of a recent study commissioned by Seeing
Machines, an advanced computer vision technology company that
designs AI-powered systems to improve transport safety, show that
UK consumers still need convincing as to the benefits of this
advanced technology that monitors for fatigue and distraction, with
many having yet to hear about the technology.
Seeing Machines conducted a nationally representative poll of
2,147 UK consumers, carried out by Find Out Now, in May 2023 to gauge awareness of DMS and better
understand consumer attitudes towards the technology.
As carmakers implement a range of new automated Advanced Driver
Assistance Systems (or ADAS), from Blind Spot Detection to Adaptive
Cruise Control, understanding what the driver is or is not doing
becomes increasingly important. Driver Monitoring Systems provide
the critical link between assisted driving features and driver
safety, with the technology only being noticed if required to
intervene.
70% of those surveyed said that they believed technologies used
to monitor and improve the performance of drivers had the potential
to help improve road safety and reduce road accidents, a sign that
consumers' anxieties about DMS may be due to a lack of awareness
around the technology.
The results also revealed some interesting regional variations,
with drivers in London being on
average 32% more likely to believe that DMS would improve their
driving, while those in high level professional occupations were
also 40% more likely than their junior colleagues to think the
same. Drivers in the North East were the group least likely to
believe that DMS could lead to improvements in their driving
ability, with only 6% supporting the view that DMS could make them
a more attentive driver.
Another insight offered by the survey is the attitude of
different age groups towards DMS.
The results show higher levels of support for DMS among younger
adults, with 18 – 24-year-olds being the age group most likely to
pay extra for a driver safety system to be installed. 14% said they
would pay up to £250 for the technology, compared to on average
only 9% among those over 45.
That said, only 5% of respondents across all age groups said
that they thought that DMS should be a legal requirement for all UK
vehicles, suggesting that potential legislative changes to make
driver monitoring systems compulsory for all new vehicles may be
out of step with popular sentiment.
"On the back of Ford's recent announcement that its 'hands-off,
eyes-on' assisted driver technology has been approved for use on
certain motorways in the UK, the prevalence of driver monitoring
systems in the vehicles we drive will only increase in the years
ahead," said Paul McGlone, CEO of
Seeing Machines. "Every year, around 1.35 million people die,
and between 20 and 50 million people are injured, due to some form
of transport accident caused by human error, negligence, risky
behaviour, unpredictable events, or unsafe conditions. Getting
everyone home safely is what matters and regulators around the
world understand that sophisticated cameras to check driver
attentiveness can help reduce accidents."
"The survey shows that there is much work still to be done by
carmakers, suppliers and policy makers in educating the public as
to the benefits of advanced driver monitoring systems and the
regulatory changes which will make it an unavoidable legal
requirement in the decade ahead. Even so, the results indicate that
most UK drivers are receptive to these changes and are willing to
try out a technology with clear benefits for driver safety, as DMS
technology becomes as commonplace as the seatbelt in the years
ahead."
About Seeing Machines (AIM: SEE), a global company
founded in 2000 and headquartered in Australia, is an industry leader in
vision-based monitoring technology that enable machines to see,
understand and assist people. Seeing Machines is revolutionizing
global transport safety. Its technology portfolio of AI algorithms,
embedded processing and optics, power products that need to deliver
reliable real-time understanding of vehicle operators. The
technology spans the critical measurement of where a driver is
looking, through to classification of their cognitive state as it
applies to accident risk. Reliable "driver state" measurement is
the end-goal of Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS) technology. Seeing
Machines develops DMS technology to drive safety for Automotive,
Commercial Fleet, Off-road and Aviation. The company has offices in
Australia, USA, Europe
and Asia, and supplies technology
solutions and services to industry leaders in each market
vertical.
www.seeingmachines.com
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