Autonomous cars that can take over from drivers if they are tired or caught in the heat of an argument are being developed in Sweden. Researchers working as part of the European Union's €77 billion research program are developing sensor-based systems that monitor whether a driver is distracted, anxious or tired. If a driver is not in a fit state to be on the road, the car automatically takes control of the wheel to prevent accidents. Doctor Anna Anund from the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute, who is leading the project, said a driver's state can be measured using a number of sensors, including heart rate monitors and eye sensors, which track where a driver's gaze is. She said the aim was to really make sure that the transition from the driver to the vehicle is done in a safe way, so we can take into consideration the driver's state, and so we do not give control to a driver who is under pressure of fatigue, stress, anxiety, and so on.
According to data from the European Commission, Sweden has the safest roads in the EU, with the UK a close second. However, the number of road accidents in both has largely levelled out since 2010. Driver fatigue is thought to be responsible for as many as a fifth of road crashes across the EU, although there are certain times of the day when more accidents happen. At 6:00 a.m., for example, drivers are said to be 20 times more likely to have an accident than at 10:00 a.m. While most experts agree driverless technology should help bring down accident numbers in the long term, some have questioned whether it is safe.
The researchers have said the technology they are developing is seeking to bridge the gap between Level 3 on the autonomy scale, in which drivers have to be ready to take control of the car at any point, and Level 4, in which driving is automated.
Daniel Ruiz, the chief executive of the UK's connected and autonomous vehicle programme Meridian, said: "there is a strong debate going on about how it is possible to make a Level 3 car completely safe." Despite advances in technology, we still have some way to go in shifting public sentiment. With an increase in attention-grabbing accidents recently, drivers now view self-driving cars as less safe than they used to.