Artificial Intelligence-powered driver monitoring and approaching-risk alert systems are being heralded as major weapons in reducing collisions blamed on in-cabin distraction.
Yet, not all devices on the market today are equal in assessing crash risk and driver behavior, nor are they able to work in all driving conditions.
In an assessment of collision-prevention performance by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI), technology developed by Nauto especially excels in both detection and fastest time to alert drivers of impending danger
The VTTI study builds on its original 2023 benchmark report that tested safety systems across six distinct driving-risk scenarios. It says Nauto’s system excelled overall with 100% detection of distracted-driver events, day and night and under 5 seconds, four times faster than previously tested systems.
Speaking to WardsAuto, Nauto CEO Stefan Heck says advancements in this area are vital to reducing the risks facing those between the ages of 5 and 55 while riding in a motor vehicle, which is recognized as the most dangerous activity for this age group.
And while driving has been getting safer over the past few decades, that improvement began to reverse about 10 years ago with the rise of portable digital devices and smartphones contributing to distracted-driving accidents. Heck says: “At the time, the hypothesis was that this was down to the use of digital devices; now we know, definitely, it’s down to digital devices.”
Heck cites research showing 16% of all collision-related high-injury or property damage are disproportionately caused by distraction and all forms of inattention, and of those distractions, over 80% are caused by digital devices.
“This is an epidemic of distractions, because phones are addictive and people love checking their messages or social media or watching video,” Heck says. “That’s the problem we are trying to solve, and in the U.S. it’s a $300 billion damage problem. In Europe it’s slightly better in terms of the collision rate, but Europe has even more people and vehicles in a smaller space, so it is a gigantic problem.”
Nauto’s collision-avoidance solution uses cameras to monitor the vehicle’s surroundings and the driver’s behavior inside the cabin.
“We have learned from billions of kilometers what situations lead to dangerous outcomes, what situations lead to close calls and what situations are safe,” Heck says. “What we do is, we look about five seconds into the future, see if the risk is starting to spike and then we intervene. If it’s an imminent collision, it’s an alarm; if it’s high-risk but no imminent risk, such as being on the phone for more than 10 seconds, then we do coaching. Where risks that are just starting to rise we give little behavior nudges, little reminders.”
In the auto system, if the driver is speeding consistently and not just overtaking, a cabin alarm alerts them to slow down. Heck says that within 72 hours of the system giving drivers feedback, they adjust their own behavior.
Beyond commercial fleets, Nauto also works with insurance companies and fleets big enough to insure themselves, concentrating on the biggest collision risks to their businesses.
“It matters because if you look at the most common collision, that causes very little damage — it’s backing into a mailbox or some other street furniture. Worst case, you owe someone $25. For most fleets this sort of accident is 40% of their collisions costing 3% of their damage,” says Heck.
On the other extreme, he adds, when a pedestrian collision happens, these can be major injuries or fatalities costing multiple millions of dollars. Pedestrian fatalities for a delivery fleet may be 2%-3% of their collisions, but 60% of their damage.
“So, our system is much more aggressive with warnings when it spots the risk of pedestrians on bicycles, while being more cautious about intervening with smaller risks, such as speeding on a clear road within certain limits,” Heck says.
Looking to the future, Heck says work is being conducted on improving the technology’s capabilities and exploring new potential areas for improving road safety.
Adds the CEO: “There is a long tail of risks not being covered today. Speeding, by itself, may not be much of a problem unless the road surface is slippery through snow, ice or mud, where speeding plus that can become dangerous. Also, we are working on extending the assessment of risk 10 seconds in the future.”
Another common collision is being rear-ended. The vehicle is stopped at a red light, the driver in the car behind is looking at their phone and drives into the car ahead. Nauto is now looking at installing computer-enabled rear vision so the driver about to be rear-ended can be warned in time to get out of the lane and avoid or reduce damage and injury.
