A new driver alertness feature as well as an erratic driving behavior monitor are part of new offerings from safety solutions manufacturer Takata Electronics. Takata’s SafeTraK 3 product includes vehicle monitoring software that tracks time of day, number of alerts and variability in driving performance. There is also an alert to indicate inadvertent lane departures and weaving within lanes, the company said.
“Commercial truck drivers face many distractions while on the road for long hours, this includes drowsiness,” said Kirk Morris, vp, product management & business development. “Our system’s unique algorithms help operators better manage their driving so they know when to stop for rest breaks, what time of day they generally require breaks, as well as measure their driving performance real time. Our ultimate objective is to improve road safety for everyone, and this unique SafeTraK feature takes a giant step in meeting that goal.”
According to the company, the system can help fleets monitor driver performance and then better train those drivers to stay in compliance with FMCSA’s Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 (CSA 2010) initiative.
Distracted drivers, whether due to fatigue, cell phone usage, or other circumstances, will generally weave within a lane far more than a rested driver whose full attention is on the driving task. The driver alertness feature can diagnose the driver’s inattention by monitoring the vehicle’s performance within the lane and provide a unique warning when the situation warrants.
