Every year tens of thousands of people die in traffic in Germany. An innovative program will reduce this number through the use of AI.
Tel Aviv – In the long term, the number of traffic deaths in Germany should fall to zero. This is the goal of “Vision Zero”, an international strategy to reduce the number of fatalities in traffic accidents. The Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) is also committed to implementing this strategy and system to reduce the number of road traffic fatalities by 40 percent by 2030.
An ambitious goal. To achieve this, we must also address one of the main reasons for serious traffic accidents in Europe: drunk driving. In 2023 alone, 13,628 alcohol-related accidents with personal injuries were registered in Germany, as reported by the Federal Statistical Office. A subsequent startup called CorrActions could play a crucial role in bringing that number down.
More safety in road traffic: Start-up from Israel has found software that is supposed to detect drunk drivers
The company has developed software that is supposed to be able to detect drunk drivers. The system, which is based on artificial intelligence and machine learning, is called NeuroMonitor.
The system uses sensors to detect the driver's movements and analyze whether the driver may be overtired or under the influence of alcohol. If the result is positive, the system reacts and, for example, causes the car to drive more slowly or increase the distance to other vehicles. Anyone who drives drunk may find that their car develops a mind of its own in the future.
Software is said to detect stress, fatigue and alcohol with ninety percent accuracy
CorrActions explains on its website that the system is based on brain signals that manifest themselves in muscle movements. Many modern cars are already equipped with sensors on the steering wheel or driver's seat, and a researcher from the Kassel plant is even planning to transfer this technology to bicycles.
The CorrActions system is intended to work purely as software with these sensors. The developers point out that the system does not require a hardware update, but is supported by the existing structures in new cars. There are already systems in some car models that use sensors on the steering wheel to detect microsleep and then wake up the driver by briefly braking or – if there is no reaction – guide the car safely onto the hard shoulder.
Such existing sensors could also be used in the start-up’s software. However, it is not clear from the information on the website whether the new technology will be available as freely available software or only as a pre-installed security system.
The company says that brain activity impaired by alcohol, fatigue or stress manifests itself in specific micro-movement patterns that can be detected by the sensors. The system's developers emphasize its high accuracy. “By processing the signals, kinematic factors and other methods, false positives are reduced to almost zero,” CorrActions says on its website. There is even talk of an accuracy of 90 percent.
Alcohol software could soon be used – large car manufacturer involved in start-up
The start-up was founded in 2019 by neuroscientist Eldad Hochmann, as Volvo announced in a press release. Today, CorrActions works with the automotive testing organization Euro NCAP, which, among other things, carries out crash tests and evaluates the safety of cars. Volvo is one of the start-up's investors.
Loud today.at The technology is still in the testing phase, but could be used widely in the near future. Volvo factory to control the driver's weight for safety reasons. (Lab/Sp)
