[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/11678\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EWake-up call: reducing road accidents with customised driver alerts \u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen Carlo Polidori is driving and starts rubbing the back of his neck, he knows it\u2019s probably time to take a break. The act is a sign that he\u2019s getting tired behind the wheel.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPolidori, who is president of the Italian Association of Road Safety Professionals, drove for decades without being aware of his habit. He spotted it in 2022 when joining an EU project to come up with an advanced electronic device that can check people\u2019s driving performance.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDrowsy signs\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Before, I had no idea that this was an indicator I\u2019m getting fatigued,\u2019 said Polidori, whose association \u2013 also known as AIPSS \u2013 promotes best practices in the field of road safety.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAIPSS is part of a research project that received EU funding to develop a better way for detecting the onset of mental and physical fatigue in drivers. Called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/953432\u0022\u003EFITDRIVE\u003C\/a\u003E, the project runs for three and a half years until the end of February 2025.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe FITDRIVE team, led by the ITCL Technology Centre in Spain, is building technology integrated into the car\u2019s software that will send customised alerts to drivers when they should pay more attention to the road or even take a break.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We observe the physiological status of a driver,\u2019 said Polidori. \u2018We look at when a driver is fit to drive and take action when they\u2019re not.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile existing technology in the field can send alerts when people stray from a lane or drive erratically, it is mostly onboard software that isn\u2019t customised for each driver.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERoad tests\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDriver fatigue is a contributing factor in 15% to 20% of serious road crashes, the European Road Safety Observatory said in a 2021 \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/road-safety.transport.ec.europa.eu\/document\/download\/09dca415-306c-401a-9c97-8afd174ca36e_en?filename=road_safety_thematic_report_fatigue_tc_final.pdf\u0022\u003Ereport\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EThis system customises itself for each driver.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003ECarlo Polidori, FITDRIVE\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAround 20 400 people were killed in road accidents in the EU in 2023, according to the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/transport.ec.europa.eu\/news-events\/news\/2023-figures-show-stalling-progress-reducing-road-fatalities-too-many-countries-2024-03-08_en\u0022\u003EEuropean Commission\u003C\/a\u003E. While the figure represented a 1% decline compared with 2022, the Commission said too few EU countries were on track to meet a target of halving road deaths by 2030.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFITDRIVE is among a number of EU projects finding ways to bring down the number of road fatalities in Europe. Researchers believe that, with the right technology, people can be prodded into driving more safely.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research challenge starts with the basics: knowing when exactly a driver is becoming tired. The FITDRIVE team is collecting this data through tests on groups of volunteers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESo far, the volunteers have driven a car simulator and ridden around on closed-off tracks in Italy and Spain under various weather conditions. Those tests took place in 2023.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBefore the project wraps up, the plan is to conduct real-world tests in Ireland, Italy and Spain.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe information collected during the first two sets of tests came from cameras watching the drivers\u2019 faces and headsets to monitor brain waves.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe data will feed into an algorithm that, combined with an electronic bracelet, can detect when a driver is getting tired. The bracelet will monitor things like heart rate, arm-movement patterns and perspiration to note when a driver is becoming weary.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe algorithm will keep learning and adapting itself to each individual driver.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe system fine-tunes itself by continuously collecting data to build up a picture of each driver and assess risks during a particular driving session. In this way, it can detect individual cues of tiredness \u2013 such as when Polidori touches the back of his neck.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018That\u2019s the big difference from existing systems to spot fatigue,\u2019 he said. \u2018This system customises itself for each driver. It can advise them of issues before they themselves realise it.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESystem upgrade\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe current technologies that can recognise when a person is driving erratically or swerving from a lane are based on tests carried out on large numbers of volunteers and feature a one-size-fits-all algorithm for drivers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBecause everyone has a different driving style, these methods aren\u2019t always accurate enough.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe project has 10 partners from seven countries including France, Germany, Spain and Sweden. Among the participants is Advanticsys, a Spanish company that specialises in sensors and software, and the European Driving Schools Association.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe FITDRIVE technology might even be useful in self-driving cars, which for the foreseeable future will require passengers to supervise operations and be ready to take control if necessary.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor that to happen, a person in the vehicle needs to be alert at key moments rather than sleeping or reading. A system like FITDRIVE\u2019s could be used in self-driving cars to monitor people inside and make sure they are alert enough to intervene.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESafer hauling\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHelping to ensure that drivers of heavy-duty vehicles stay alert behind the wheel was the focus of another EU-funded project.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECalled \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/814761\u0022\u003Ei-DREAMS\u003C\/a\u003E, it wrapped up in April 2023 after four years and came up with a way to notify lorry drivers when they started driving in unsafe ways. Heavy-duty vehicles accounted for \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/road-safety.transport.ec.europa.eu\/system\/files\/2023-02\/ff_buses_hgv_20230213.pdf\u0022\u003E14%\u003C\/a\u003E of all road fatalities in the EU in 2020.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EWe need to nudge the driver to drive more safely.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProfessor Tom Brijs, i-DREAMS\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe project brought together 13 partners from eight countries including Austria, Belgium, Greece, the Netherlands and Slovenia. It carried out tests on 600 drivers at sites in five nations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUsing data from the vehicles, the driver and the surrounding environment, the project team created a statistical measure of when a driver was in control and, if not, sent the person an audio alert via a smartphone app.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen a person drove too closely to the vehicle in front, particularly when the road was wet, a signal would be sent.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe app can also coach drivers to do better. During the project, points were awarded to test drivers based on how well they drove.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The audio signals improved driving quality of test drivers,\u2019 said Tom Brijs, who led i-DREAMS and is a professor in the department of traffic engineering at Hasselt University in Belgium. \u2018Driving quality improved even further for those drivers who were coached in the app.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInsurance guarantee\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe app is already being used by some businesses.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor example, an insurance company uses the app to monitor its insured lorry drivers \u2013 particularly at hauliers with poor reputations, according to Brijs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESome companies, especially those with higher-than-average accident rates, have less access to affordable insurance.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe i-DREAMS app enables such hauliers to get insurance as long as all their drivers use the app.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECar manufacturers might also use this technology in future to check whether drivers using cruise control are really paying attention, particularly in dangerous conditions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We need to nudge the driver to drive more safely, particularly now that cars are becoming partly autonomous,\u2019 Brijs said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch in this article was funded by the EU\u2019s Horizon Programme. The views of the interviewees don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. 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