Takata Adds Truck Driver Alertness System
Takata, the Japanese auto supplier with its North American headquarters in Auburn Hills, said it has introduced an exclusive driver alertness feature to its Safe Trak lane departure warning system.
The Takata system has two unique alerts, one for indicating drivers may need rest and one for inadvertent lane departures.
The driver alertness feature is available on the SafeTrak 3 product; it includes vehicle monitoring software that tracks the time of day, number of alerts, and variability in driving performance. Companies can use the SafeTrak 3 system to help their drivers better understand their own driving patterns and make adjustments to improve overall road safety.
"Commercial truck drivers face many distractions while on the road for long hours, this includes drowsiness," says Kirk Morris, vice president, product management and business development for Takata Electronics. "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."
Takata says the SafeTrak system can help drivers better prepare for their long haul trips and react to their real time driving performance. SafeTrak system test results have demonstrated a good correlation between the driver alertness index and the driver's actual performance within the lane.
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 provides a unique warning so the driver may get rest or better focus on the driving task.
"Simply put, the SafeTrak system saves lives, improves efficiencies and cuts costs," Morris said. "The SafeTrak system is currently available on many North American truck platforms. Manufacturers that offer SafeTrak include Freightliner, International, Kenworth, Volvo, and Mack. That is good news for everyone traveling the roads."
More at www.safetrak.takata.com.
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