New tool to combat falling asleep at the wheel

Drivers receive fatigue information packs as part of a road safety initiative in Dannevirke.

A driver monitoring device is detecting 125 events each day where truck and car drivers are starting to fall asleep.

Taupō firm AutoSense specialises in ways to improve driver safety, and at the core of the business are devices called Guardian units, imported from Australian company Seeing Machines.

AutoSense CEO Charles Dawson said the Guardian units have revealed the worrying scale of the fatigue problem on New Zealand’s roads.

“Our Guardian by Seeing Machines cameras detect 125 events daily where car and truck drivers are falling asleep at the wheel, meaning the driver’s eyes are closed for 1.5 seconds or more.”

On State Highway 5 between Taupō and Napier alone, driver fatigue was found to be the cause of 29 crashes from 2015 to 2019.

And in 2020, there were 21 fatal crashes in New Zealand due to driver fatigue.

The dash-mounted Guardians use cameras with tracking algorithms to observe the head and eye positions of drivers.

If fatigue or driver distraction is detected, an audio alert sounds and the driver’s seat vibrates to warn them.

The footage and data is then sent to analysts to verify it.

Another issue to combat was mobile phone use, said Dawson.

“We know of the 4,600 vehicles being monitored, there have been at least 134 verified mobile phone events per day.”

These were incidents where hands-free devices were not being used, meaning drivers were holding or looking at their phones.

AutoSense also offer driver awareness training to improve reactions and understanding of hazards. This training had proven popular with Government agencies and employers with staff who drive as part of their jobs.

The training was done in a variety of ways, including online sessions and one-on-one training. The company also has a variety of simulators - including simulators for forklifts, heavy vehicles and machinery - to provide hands-on training in a safe way.

Not content to stop there, AutoSense now plans to take to the roads themselves to deliver a set of workshops across the country.

The #EYESUPNZ workshop series is formed of two parts, with one set aimed at young drivers and the other at commercial fleets.

Hosted by neuroscience educator Nathan Walls, Success Formula people coach Kelly McLuckie and motor racing legend Greg Murphy, the half-day sessions between March and May cover concepts like the effects of driving on the brain and driver training tools.

Dawson said that all of these business strands were important to make the roads of Taupō and beyond safer.

Other local organisations like Amplify had also helped them to get their messages and technology to a wider New Zealand audience.

“We see a huge need for services and technology that will help to improve the safety of people on New Zealand’s roads. The right support and advice helps us to scale up AutoSense’s capacity to deliver these.”