Will your Car Wake you up?

Claes Tingvall, head of highway safety department in Sweden (land of Volvo, the brand leader of ‘vehicle safety’), the auto industry is on the cusp of a safety revolution.

Since the invention of the seatbelt in the 1960’s, auto companies (and Car Insurance experts like us!) have embraced new developments to reduce risks behind the wheel.

Over the years, Volvo, Saab, Nissan and Mercedes-Benz have been working toward finding the best way to wake up dozing drivers. (And sleepy drivers are a major problem! Check out our blog post on the subject.)

The tests have lead Volvo to introduce a “Driver Alert” system. The car’s computer system has the ability to determine if the driver is drowsing and issues an audible alarm and an icon of a coffee cup, which flashes on the instrument panel. Volvo’s “Driver Attention Warning System” announces, “You are tired!” before commanding, “You are dangerously tired! Stop as soon as it is safe to do so!”

This alerting system is just the beginning, many auto development experts believe. Future measures including puffs of air on the back of a driver’s neck, vibrating steering wheels and automatic steering are in the future according to a New York Times article.

What’s to come? We are anxious to know!