MVD officials develop driver drowsiness detection system to avert fatal accidents

The camera in the apparatus keeps tab of yawning and frequent closure of eyes by the driver, following which the vehicle slows down and stops

A ‘driver drowsiness detection and fatal accident prevention system’ developed by a team of officials of the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD), who are in the final year of part-time B.Tech course at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat), could help avert fatal road accidents. It is a combination of six commonly available devices, of which the prominent one is a night vision camera that records facial changes. It keeps tab of yawning and frequent closure of eyes by the driver, and they are analysed using software that banks on a micro computer, following which the vehicle slows down and stops, said Arun C.D., Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI), Ernakulam RTO, who was part of the six-member team who developed it as part of their final year project. “Initially, a red light turns on to alert the driver, and an alarm goes off. The accelerator function stops, hazard warning lamp lights turn on, emergency braking display board on the vehicle turns on [to warn other motorists], and the engine exhaust brake gets activated, if the driver fails to regain alertness, following which the vehicle grinds to a halt,” he added.