Over the past couple of years there’s been a lot of buzz about artificial intelligence (AI).
Will it reshape the world as we know it or is it all just hype?
While this debate is going on there’s a compelling use case for this technology, and it’s one that most probably wouldn’t expect. It turns out that AI is really good at detecting – and preventing – a major cause of road accidents: driver fatigue.
Our fleet clients have forward-facing and rear cameras on their vehicles, and many of them also have cameras focused on drivers’ faces.
Each camera has its own processor, and it’s taught to detect certain behaviours that indicate that a truck driver is become dangerously fatigued.
This kind of technology is a significant development; one that can help make South African roads safer for everyone.
That’s because driver fatigue is a significant contributor to road accidents globally. The cost of accidents caused by driver fatigue is estimated at $20 billion in the US, and while reliable statistics for South Africa are hard to come by, it has been estimated that fatigue is a factor in 25%-30% of fatal crashes.
If you’re behind the steering wheel of an 18-wheeler weighing a total of 40 tonnes, you’re in charge of millions of rands in vehicles and cargo, and even a small error in judgment or slight slowing down of reaction time can come at a terrible cost. Tired drivers are a danger both to themselves and to others, so an AI-powered camera that looks at the face of a truck driver is effectively looking out for everyone.
The beauty with AI is that the more the camera is used, the more it learns what to look for. Once the camera picks up tell-tale signs of fatigue, it relays a message both to the driver and to our Global Fleet Bureau in Midrand, which is active 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The LCD display fitted next to the camera flashes red or amber, depending on the urgency of the alert. An alarm is triggered, advising the driver to stop as soon as is safely possible. Controllers will be able to view what the camera is seeing, and contact the driver with a message to pull over and rest. If the driver continues to ignore the alarm, the messages will be escalated until the driver complies with the instruction.
Drivers work long hours in challenging conditions and they are under constant time pressure, so it’s understandable that there can be pushback when an alarm is triggered. Drivers sometimes have some choice words for our fleet bureau staff.
A driver who ignored repeated fatigue warnings and ended up colliding with three other vehicles within thirty minutes of the first alarm, serves as a cautionary tale for the industry, convincing clients to take up the service.
More and more fleet controllers are asking us to monitor those alarms for them and take action on their behalf.
The use of AI cameras has revealed a shift in driving patterns, with more night time driving. Netstar monitoring indicates that more vehicles are driving through the night. Trucks are loaded at five in the afternoon, and the driver aims to arrive by 8am the following morning.
Interestingly, fatigue peaks at 10am due to the long night and now the glaring sun contributing to fatigue.
Other trends we have detected include daydreaming, where drivers spend so long on the road that they go into a trance and fail to notice road hazards in front of them; lack of discipline around seatbelts towards the end of the day; and a significant increase in insurance companies requesting tracking data and camera footage to validate claims.
We also offer an increasingly popular service where drivers travelling through high-risk areas can press an assist button to request eyes on screen monitoring until they give the thumbs up – a kind of digital buddy who will look for danger and activate response teams should it be needed.
These tools show how AI and human monitoring can work together to make roads safer for everyone. This isn’t a future dream; it’s already making a difference today.
AI isn’t just about transforming the future, it’s about saving lives on the road today. That’s not hype, it is real.
