Mercedes’ Attention Assist fights with drowsiness by sound and light signals. In order to make a decision that the driver is almost sleeping, the system has to analyze over a dozen parameters.

Cars a getting more and more safe over the years, and it is a fact. They are quipped with airbags, rain detectors, electrochromic mirrors, they are covered with a great number of electronic systems that monitor lengthway and crosswise dynamics. Still, the creators don’t stop at this level, they do their best to protect drivers and their passengers from contingencies with the help of sophisticated systems.

Mercedes-Benz will soon equip its cars with the system Attention Assist that monitors the condition of the driver and prevents him from sleeping at the steering-wheel. The activity of the driver is determined indirectly according to the dynamics of the driving. The system analyzes the frequency of the steering-wheel movements, accelerating and braking and fixes the duration of the driver’s being at the steering-wheel.

But that’s not all. Attention Assist is that smart as to adjust to the temperament of the driver and can even detect the lateral skids caused by the wind. If a car alarm-clock detects that the activity of the driver has fallen down and the car starts “walking” from side to side, Attention Assist will inform the driver about the loss of vigilance with the help of a sound signal or special light indication.

Mercedes-Benz promises to include the novelty into the list of additional features by 2009. At the moment the developers are adapting the system to the usage on different models.

A similar system is used by Volvo - Driver Alert Control (DAC).

In comparison to other experimental systems DAC won’t follow the movements and the eyes of the driver – it will monitor the degree of his exhaustion. Moreover, the system warns in case of involuntary crossing the highway stripping.

The system includes a camera, a number of detectors and a control unit. The camera is installed in the rear-view mirror and is constantly monitoring the position of the car as far as the highway stripping is concerned. The detectors monitor the movement of the car. The control unit analyzes if the car is stable and the driver is attentive. If it is not, the system will worn the driver or even suggest halting, taking a rest and a cup of coffee.

Such a device will be installed on the models V70, XC70 and S80 by the end of the year and is most definitely to be very useful on straight roads. Nevertheless, the system has its own cons. For instance, the creators claim that it works well only on the roads with clear and good stripping, and rain or fog can affect the effectiveness of it.

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