June 22, 2021 Enhancing Road Safety with AI Video Telematics

Fleet management systems are not simple vehicle tracking solutions anymore.

Driven by the demand for road safety, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has enhanced the capabilities of monitoring solutions across the automotive industry. 

Advancements in Telematics

According to LytxⓇ, telematics can be defined as a system is a collection of services for collecting and using vehicle data to achieve any number of tasks, such as locating a vehicle using signals from GPS telematics. Other telematics include Engine Control Module, which tracks speed, odometer readings, brake use, and oil pressure; Video Cameras, which track driver behavior prior to and after an incident, road conditions, and cargo status; ADAS, which collect data pertaining to following distance, lane departure, and distance to other vehicles or objects; and Electronic Logging Devices, which collects date, time, location information, engine hours, vehicle miles, driver ID information, and more.

The exponential growth in e-commerce is bolstering last-mile deliveries and associated drivers, which include many individuals without previous commercial driving experience. Additionally, recent regulatory measures are now bringing more technology into fleets. All of the current pressing factors are accelerating the demand for advancements in dashcams, driver monitoring, driver monitoring systems, external cameras, and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).

Integrating Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) with video telematics and fleet management allows for enhanced road safety features. Additional road safety features include forward collision warning, headway warning, lane departure warning, pedestrian collision warning, traffic sign recognition, and stop & go assistance.

Road Safety Regulations

Distracted driving is a leading concern when it comes to road safety. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving, whether it be texting, eating, or adjusting the radio. According to NHTSA research, 9% of fatal crashes involved distracted driving in 2019, which resulted in 3,142 lives lost in crashes involving distracted drivers.

In 2020, the EU introduced the General Safety Regulation 2019/2144 for advanced safety systems. Safety measures included intelligent speed assistance, alcohol interlock installation, driver drowsiness and attention warning, advanced distraction warning, emergency stop signal, reversing detection, and event data recorder. Other countries already have similar mandates in place, but Europe has placed a mandate into effect that forces automakers to integrate a driver-monitoring system and critical advanced driver-assist features for new cars by 2022.

Questions surrounding the regulation of ADAS in the U.S. has resulted in the search to implement solutions to stop drivers from abusing the systems. A study by the AAA Foundation and Virginia Tech Transportation found that as drivers gain more experience using ADAS technology, they could develop complacency while behind the wheel.ADAS have been further pushed into the spotlight after a recent influx of fatal automobile accidents occurring in cars with semi-autonomous Autopilot system. U.S. Senators requested the NHTSA to introduce enhanced guidelines for advanced driver-assist systems with legislation that aims to improve automotive safety and reduce accidents, specifically accidents from distracted driving.

The “Stay Aware for Everyone” (SAFE) Act of 2020 will mandate that the Department of Transportation research the role of a driver monitoring system to reduce distracted driving, accidents, and driver disengagement because of ADAS features. Following the findings, the legislation would require the Transportation Secretary to introduce a rule to force automakers to fit a driver-monitoring system onto new vehicles within four years.

Benefit of AI Cameras

With the deployment of AI cameras and enablement software, fleet operators can benefit from increased cabin and driver road safety, reduced insurance costs, and a shift from reactive to proactive safety incident management. Software-defined cameras have the ability to enable precision AI for video telematics, including forward collision, lane departure, and pedestrian collision warnings.

New Technologies

In addition, the innovative advancements in AI video telematics are leading the way in enabling new technologies. These new technologies have enabled growth in Edge (in-vehicle) AI System-On-Chip (SoC), neural network models, and LTE and 5G.

Lightmetrics defines the term ‘AI on the Edge’ simply as, the fast and efficient delivery of insights, almost completely using the computing resources available locally on device. With Edge AI SoCs, new innovation has presented a realistic possibility that fleets can obtain deeper insights in a more scalable, automated, and cost-efficient manner.

5G technology is an impactful addition to fleet management software. It is 100 times faster than 4G and has the capability of more bandwidth. 5G supports more connected networks, which enhances the scope of vehicle monitoring, according to data collected from Manufacturing Tomorrow.

AI can be trusted to understand driver behavior, traffic elements, vehicle movement, and critical contextual data across driving ecosystems—but it only works if it can be successfully deployed in the vehicle to help drivers when it matters the most, according to Nauto.

Chris Piche is the Founder of Smarter AI, an industry-leader in AI cameras and enablement software. Piche is a Canadian computer scientist and technology entrepreneur. Piche is an expert in computer vision, P2P, and scalable video technologies, having created services including AT&T TV, BBM Video, Poly Video, and STUN/TURN/ICE. Piche has been awarded Best of Internet World, Canada’s Top Young Leader, and Top 40 under 40. Visit: https://smarterai.camera/

Subscribe to Industry Today