Helping You Stay Awake: Mercedes Developing Fatigue Warning System For Motorists

a fatigue warning system currently in development by the safety-conscious engineers of Mercedes-Benz. As we all know, over-fatigue is a dangerous yet all-too-prevalent phenomenon when driving.

In Germany alone, 3,034 traffic accidents last year were attributed to fatigue, 1,786 of which resulted in personal injury. Experts, however, believe the number is much higher, estimating that between 10 and 20 percent of all serious accidents can be attributed to drowsiness. Whatever the actual number, there's no doubt that fatigue behind the wheel greatly increases the driver's risk of being involved in an accident.

To combat the perils of over-fatigue, Mercedes engineers have begun work on a fatigue warning system - one that will have the ability to detect when a driver is exhibiting signs of drowsiness and instantaneously send a warning sound to alert the driver of his tired state. While the exact methods of measuring the driver's alertness are still under development, two systems are currently being implemented.

The first technique, which utilizes an infrared camera directed at the driver's head, measures eye-blink frequency, instantly detecting microsleep the moment the eyes stay closed for a certain period of time. The second technique, which analyzes dynamic driving data, measures steering and braking characteristics and alerts the driver when various conditions are met (such as the steering wheel not being moved for a prolonged period of time).

But while these safeguards may be the beginning of what will ultimately become the final fatigue warning system, engineers have determined that observation of individual criteria alone is not a reliable-enough detection of tiredness. In addition to the aforementioned techniques, Mercedes engineers are pioneering a system which creates an individual driver profile for each of the vehicle's operators - one which is able to store individual driving styles, duration, time of day, etc. - further allowing the fatigue warning system to analyze and detect the moment a driver is exhibiting signs of drowsiness.

It's an ambitious undertaking, and one that won't see series production for several years. But like all of Mercedes' safety technologies, including their Electronic Stability Program and Brake Assist, it will undoubtedly move Mercedes owners one-step closer to the company's vision of accident-free driving. To learn more, keep reading for photos demonstrating the fatigue warning system being tested, followed by the full press release detailing the technology. Thanks for the tip Nash. Driver testing the new Mercedes-Benz Fatigue Warning System Engineer testing the new Mercedes-Benz Fatigue Warning System Engineer testing the new Mercedes-Benz FatigueWarning System.