Drowsy or distracted driving continues to plague American roadways. But it looks like Toyota might have just taken a major step in combating this very real danger, thanks to a new safety system that tracks eye-lid motion.
Toyota’s new system – which was just patented this past April – follows the movements of a driver's eye-lids in order to determine if they're either falling asleep at the wheel or if they're not fully concentrating on the road. The system uses the many sensors and cameras already used in Toyota’s lineup, but with an added feature that looks at both the upper and lower eyelid. If the system does detect abnormal movement, it will then send an alert to the driver.
Distracted driving is one of the most common causes of accidents around the world - especially among younger drivers. It's a problem that has been exacerbated following the advent of handheld technology, which has made it harder for people to avoid their phones while on the road. A recent NY Times article even said that many drivers go so far as to post to Facebook and other social media sites while behind the wheel.
“The [AT&T] survey found that 27 percent of drivers age 16 to 65 report using Facebook, and 14 percent report using Twitter [while driving]. Of those, a startling 30 percent who said they post to Twitter while driving do it “all the time,” the Times noted.
There's no word yet on when we might see the full integration of this system into Toyota's lineup, but the Japanese automaker hopes to incorporate it into their current safety systems in the coming years. For now, take a look at our full 2015 lineup of new Toyota cars to see why their considered some of the safest cars in Dallas.
