AI technology aims to reduce road deaths in China

An AI-powered in-car monitoring system will be installed in trucks in China's Shenzhen City next year, in an effort to solve the problem of accidents caused by distracted drivers, reports huanqiu.com.

A woman yawns while driving. [Photo: VCG]

The system is being developed by EyeSight, an Israel-based artificial intelligence and hardware startup, in partnership with Wuhan Yixun, a navigation company based in China.

The system is designed to track the direction of a driver's gaze, eye movement, and head position, and uses an algorithm to assess the driver's level of drowsiness and distraction. It can also measure pupil dilation, which is a reliable indicator of drug or alcohol use. If the system assesses the driver as being distracted, it will alert the driver.

According to a survey by the World Health Organization, more than 250,000 people are killed in car crashes each year in China – more than 700 lives lost each day. Car crashes are the single largest cause of death for people in China aged 15 to 44.