New Technology Will Pull Your Car Over if You're Drowsy at the Wheel

Automated technology is working to keep you safe—even from your dependence on automated technology.
Written by Clare Behe
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Tired driver
Drowsy driving
technology
is simply the next logical step in the automated safety features that are now commonplace in major car brands. In 2018, AAA
conducted a study
that determined over 9.5% of drivers who crashed had been in a state of drowsiness at the time. 
However, unlike auto-braking or lane assist, drowsy driving tech can take over full control of the vehicle if it senses that the driver has lost the ability to control the vehicle or scan the road—whether from sleepiness or a medical emergency. 

How does drowsy car tech work?

The car can be programmed to sense a loss of awareness in one of two ways. The more basic technology uses sensors on the steering wheel and registers activity on the pedals. If the vehicle registers that there is no hand on the steering wheel, or that the pedals are not being engaged, it will set off warning noises within the cabin to alert the driver.
If the driver is unresponsive, the brakes will be pulsed in short bursts to slow the rate of speed and, again, try to get the driver's attention. If at that point the driver does not re-engage, the autopilot will turn on and navigate the vehicle to the side of the road. Once it is safely parked away from traffic an emergency call will be placed for the driver. 
The second option is a more
direct approach
, although it is also more controversial. Ford, GM, Tesla, and others, are beginning to incorporate the technology in their auto safety packages. However, it involves installing a camera in the car’s cabin. 
Said camera would be equipped to monitor the driver’s condition to prevent accidents rather than checking in after the driver has presumably already lost control of the vehicle. Warning signs could be registered rather than a complete disengagement from manual driving. 
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Less sleepy, more sober

Drowsy car tech would be an enormous development in preventing dangerous driving. It could not only prevent accidents caused by drowsy drivers but also fulfill the
drunk driving prevention
requirements put forth by automakers in the United States’ infrastructure bill. 
Alcohol-related accidents kill an average of almost 10,000 Americans alone each year, and since the COVID-19 pandemic, that number has been on the rise. Vehicles equipped with such
technology
would be crucial in preventing these needless tragedies. Cues like unfocused eyes, phone use, or even slumping over, would be registered in real-time.
The feature would also allow people with medical conditions that currently prevent them from driving to get behind the wheel legally and safely. Epilepsy, for example, can cause unpredictable seizures, leading to grave injury if operating a vehicle, especially at high speeds.
Driver monitoring could also help to balance a safety concern that has been, ironically, emerging as more automated safety features are added to cars: lack of focus in drivers. 
Consumer Report
points out that
until cars are fully automated and there is no human required in the front seat, it is of the utmost importance to enforce driver engagement. With drowsy driver tech, the vehicle can unobtrusively redirect the driver’s attention any time they get a little too dependent on lane assist. 
Yet the question of privacy remains. 

Driving shouldn't be a spectator sport 

MORE: Telematics: discount tool or invasion of privacy?
The handful of automakers currently using driver monitoring in their vehicles have almost all anticipated and preemptively soothed privacy concerns by installing closed-loop camera systems. This means that footage is not recorded, shared, or stored. It is exclusively for real-time monitoring.  
The outlier?
Tesla
. The “cabin cam” in their Y and S models does not run unless the driver manually turns it on, but once on it records the footage and sends it back to Tesla for review in the case of a reported accident. There is no option for live review by the automated system with a closed-loop. 
A moment can change everything. That's most evident driving a 2-ton vehicle at 65 mph. But if we pay attention to the little moments in life, though more subtle, we see the impacts of small decisions.
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