Multimodal Approach for Inattentive Driver Detection

Safety on the road is one of the most vital issues that considered during automobile design process. Research concern has been directed toward developing different approaches to reduce the car accidents resulting from inattentiveness on the road that may cause serious injuries and death. In this paper, an in-car multimodal approach has been developed and implemented to accurately detect inattentive drivers. Image processing techniques and vehicle based measures are used to monitor the driver visual state, detect the driver's signs of fatigue and/or distraction, and take adequate actions. Three variables that indicate drowsy or inattentive driving were measured; eye closure, the force, and sharp turns performed on the steering wheel. A proof-of-concept prototype is implemented and several case studies are conducted to test and validate the proposed approach. These cases verified the ability of the proposed approach to detect inattentive drivers correctly and accurately.