California motorists may have heard that autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles can drive more safely than humans can. However, it is still important for people to keep their eyes on the road while operating them. This was proven in Arizona when an Uber self-driving car struck and killed a pedestrian while its human driver was distracted.
Luckily, there is already technology available that can monitor a person's attention level while driving autonomous or regular cars. The technology uses artificial intelligence algorithms to analyze live video of a driver and detect when they become distracted. Experts say such software could have helped in the Uber accident, as the vehicle already had a driver-facing camera installed. If the camera had been programmed to analyze the driver's eye position, head pose and eye closure rate, it may have been able to alert the driver to his inattention before the fatal crash.