Seeing Machines has released new data that shows its Guardian technology improved fleet and overall highway safety by significantly reducing distracted driving and fatigue when assessed in multiple U.S. based fleets.
The data was unveiled at the 2016 American Trucking Associations Management Conference & Exhibition taking place in Las Vegas, NV.
Guardian’s North American assessment results from three different types of fleets show:
- Microsleep events (where the driver’s eyes are completely closed while driving) reduced by 100 percent, 75 percent and 71 percent.
- Cell phone related distraction events reduced by 100 percent, 97 percent and 77 percent.
- Distraction events at high speed reduced by 83 percent, 49 percent and 43 percent.
“The Guardian safety solution is already saving truck drivers’ lives internationally, and now we’re positioned to better protect U.S. fleet operators and surrounding highway users by addressing distracted driving and fatigue in real-time, preventing accidents before they happen,” says Ken Kroeger, CEO, Seeing Machines (www.seeingmachines.com), a global leader in the design and development of computer vision related technologies and intervention sensing technologies and services that help machines understand people, by tracking and interpreting human faces and eyes. “The preliminary U.S. data is consistent with what we’ve seen around the world in fleets that are already relying on Guardian to better safeguard their drivers, improve their safety culture and protect their brand.”
Truck crashes
Distracted driving and driver fatigue are major factors contributing to more than 400,000 large truck crashes every year, according to the U.S. DOT, Kroeger notes, Data from Seeing Machines’ 24/7 SafeGuard Center in Tucson, AZ, shows an average of one distraction event occurring every 44 miles traveled by a truck, and one fatigue event occurring every 360 miles.
Guardian is an intelligent driver safety solution that works in real-time, using advanced sensors and image processing technology. It tracks micro-movements of the driver’s eyes and head to identify a fatigue or distraction event. When an event is detected, the driver receives in-cab audio and seat vibration alerts that provide immediate intervention to prevent an incident.
The Guardian system is focused on incident prevention, mitigation and saving lives – not driver surveillance, explains Kroeger. While other safety cameras provide a view of the full cab and transmit continual footage, Guardian’s camera views just the driver’s face and only starts recording when it detects a fatigue or distraction event. Then data is transmitted to its 24/7 SafeGuard Center in real time for verification by Seeing Machines’ trained analysts.
With this revolutionary combination of an in-cab driver sensor, a forward facing camera and the 24x7 SafeGuard Center, Guardian provides “an unparalleled safety and intervention solution for fleet trucking organizations worldwide,” he says.
Royal Food Service
Seeing Machines also announced that Atlanta, GA-based Royal Food Service will equip its entire fleet with Guardian’s advanced safety system to help ensure the safety of its drivers and maintain the highest standards in the food industry.
“We care about our drivers and want to make sure each one gets home safely every day,” says Mark McClendon, CFO, Royal Food Service. “Even though our drivers and equipment are among the best on-the-road, we still saw a 70 to 90 percent or higher reduction in distracted driving and fatigue events during the assessment of the Guardian. “We are confident this technology will further strengthen our safety culture, protect our drivers and improve highway safety overall.”
“It’s exciting to see fleet companies like Royal Food Service proactively embrace this life-saving solution, and for us to show the industry how this technology will protect drivers’ safety and privacy,” Kroeger says. “We’ve successfully detected more than two million events and prevented more than 30,000 fatigue and distraction incidents to date around the world.
“We are pleased to bring this proven technology to market in North America and positively impact highway safety.”
