Comprehensive Assessment of Artificial Intelligence Tools for Driver Monitoring and Analyzing Safety Critical Events in Vehicles

Sensors (Basel). 2024 Apr 12;24(8):2478. doi: 10.3390/s24082478.

Abstract

Human factors are a primary cause of vehicle accidents. Driver monitoring systems, utilizing a range of sensors and techniques, offer an effective method to monitor and alert drivers to minimize driver error and reduce risky driving behaviors, thus helping to avoid Safety Critical Events (SCEs) and enhance overall driving safety. Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, in particular, have been widely investigated to improve the efficiency and accuracy of driver monitoring or analysis of SCEs. To better understand the state-of-the-art practices and potential directions for AI tools in this domain, this work is an inaugural attempt to consolidate AI-related tools from academic and industry perspectives. We include an extensive review of AI models and sensors used in driver gaze analysis, driver state monitoring, and analyzing SCEs. Furthermore, researchers identified essential AI tools, both in academia and industry, utilized for camera-based driver monitoring and SCE analysis, in the market. Recommendations for future research directions are presented based on the identified tools and the discrepancies between academia and industry in previous studies. This effort provides a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners seeking a deeper understanding of leveraging AI tools to minimize driver errors, avoid SCEs, and increase driving safety.

Keywords: artificial intelligence; collision warning; computer vision; crash risk analysis; deep learning; driver gaze analysis; driver monitoring; driver state monitoring; machine learning; safety critical events.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Accidents, Traffic* / prevention & control
  • Artificial Intelligence*
  • Automobile Driving*
  • Humans
  • Safety

Grants and funding

This research was partially funded by the National Surface Transportation Safety Center for Excellence (NSTSCE).