London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Car camera system could help keep drivers awake at the wheel

From 2022, some cars will be kitted out with a new technology that detects if a driver is distracted or drowsy.

Distraction -be it a smartphone, a cigarette, music or eating -factors in up to 30% of road crashes, while fatigue is involved in up to 20%, according to the European Commission.

This is why, as of 2022, new safety technologies will become mandatory in new European vehicles, including "a warning of driver drowsiness and distraction."

Bosch, the German engineering and technology company, is positioning itself to be one of the main providers of this technology, announcing in December that it has developed an interior monitoring system that detects drowsy and distracted drivers.

The technology, which will be built into new cars from 2022, uses cameras and artificial intelligence (AI) to detect when a driver's eyelids are getting heavy, or when they are distracted from looking at a phone or turning towards another passenger.
The algorithm -trained using recordings of real driving situations -makes a judgment on the driver's fatigue depending on their eyelid position and eye-blink rate.

"Based on all this information, it can recognize if you're getting tired because the frequency of your eyelids opening and closing gets much slower," Annett Fischer, spokesperson for the Bosch interior monitor system, tells CNN Business.

The system can then alert drivers, recommending a break if they are tired, or even reacting by reducing the speed of the vehicle.
The form of the alert -whether it's sound, light, slowing down or even a vibrating steering wheel -will depend on the automaker's wishes, as they will adapt the system according to their brand and their consumers, Fischer explains.


Saving lives

Over a million people die globally each year from road traffic accidents, according to the World Health Organization's 2018 global status report on road safety. Using a telephone while driving -whether hand-held or hands-free -increases the risk of a crash by four times, while texting increases the risk by around 23 times, it estimates.

Fatigue is a particular issue for those who drive professionally, Joshua Harris, director of campaigns at the UK road safety charity Brake, tells CNN Business.

"These drivers are often behind the wheel for long periods of time and can be in charge of heavy vehicles, which can cause huge destruction in the event of a crash.

"Technology has a huge role to play in achieving a world without death or serious injury on the road and we welcome new advances which improve safety, such as drowsiness detection systems," he says.

Bosch is not the first developer in the field. Australia-based company Seeing Machines debuted its driver monitoring technology in the 2018 Cadillac CT6, and the Swedish company Smart Eye Automotive Solutions has developed a system for Geely, one of China's biggest carmakers.

Dudley Curtis, communications manager at the European Transport Safety Council, agrees that in the long term these systems will help prevent collisions.

"But it will take a long time before all vehicles have the technology," he warns. "In the meantime we need to tackle the problem from other angles as well."

For instance, while there are restrictions on driving hours in Europe -a maximum nine hours a day -he recommends stricter enforcement and regulation of these limits.

The danger is that a driver may "over-rely" on these systems. "Drivers still need to take responsibility for being fully alert and concentrating on driving, even with these systems are installed in their vehicles," says Curtis.


Privacy problems

Another concern is privacy, as the camera-based driver monitoring systems collect large amounts of personal data on the driver and passengers.

According to Bosch, data collected by its system would only be evaluated by software in the car itself, and will neither be saved nor passed onto Bosch or third parties.

Fischer adds that if the automaker wanted to store any kind of data from the driver, they would have to receive consent from them first.

Curtis believes that transparency is essential to consumer trust. He encourages automakers to explain clearly how the technology works, how the data is used and how long it is stored for.

"If it can save your life and the lives of others, it should be welcomed," he adds.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×