According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, eight-in-10 car crashes in the country are caused by distracted drivers. In Ontario, police say that distracted driving has been the leading cause of road deaths in the province for four consecutive years.
Needless to say, it’s a habit that needs to stop. To help with that, researchers at the University of Waterloo have been working on an algorithm that uses machine-learning techniques to recognize distracted driving-related behaviours.
Using cameras and artificial intelligence, the software can detect hand movements that aren’t considered related to driving. If the system notices drivers behaving abnormally for too long, it will then warn them to stop acting in such a way before they injure someone.
The tech was developed by Fakhri Karray, Arief Koesdwiady, Chaojie Ou and Safaa Bedawi and was presented at the 14th International Conference on Image Analysis and Recognition in Montreal.
Recently, Telus has also worked towards reducing instances of distracted driving on Canadian roads. In July, the carrier giant launched a pilot project in Vancouver for an app called eBrake, which prevents drivers from using their phones while in motion.
Via: The Fast Company
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