High-tech systems in new cars that can watch drivers and ensure they’re paying attention are taking another leap forward.
Those systems, which involve cameras and sensors, can also be used to determine if a driver has fallen asleep or is experiencing a medical emergency.
Other technology already incorporated into the car can then be used to safely pull over the vehicle and call first responders if the driver is unresponsive.
Keith Barry, a car reporter at Consumer Reports, said the pull-over feature is closer than many people realize.
“Mazda is working on some prototypes of the technology in Japan. Volkswagen has something in Germany that can already do this,” he told WTOP.
He thinks the feature’s arrival in the U.S. may not be far off, especially because the tech makes use of existing systems.
“So it would not surprise me if it were within in the next three to five years,” he said.
John Aaron is a news anchor and reporter for WTOP. After starting his professional broadcast career as an anchor and reporter for WGET and WGTY in Gettysburg, PA, he went on to spend several years in the world of sports media, working for Comcast SportsNet, MLB Network Radio, and WTOP sports.
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