New traffic safety devices detect distracted driving in DC

The devices consist of electronic signs mounted on small trailers and equipped with laser scanners capable of discerning whether a cellphone is in the hand of a driver and whether a driver’s eyes are fixed on the road ahead.

The devices are similar to electronic sign boards that detect a vehicle’s speed and flash a warning message to the driver to slow down.

“We know distracted driving is a crisis on our roadways … we’re distracted by our phones, we’re distracted by in-car technology, by what we eat, drink, even those random thoughts that go through our mind. So what we’re trying to do is remind drivers that there’s a sincere responsibility that comes each time you’re behind the wheel of that 2,000-pound metal beast,” said Rick Birt, director of D.C.’s Highway Safety Office.

“We want folks to focus on the art and science of being a safe driver,” he added.

The traffic safety devices are essentially driver feedback signs. They don’t issue citations.

The device’s sensor — which uses LIDAR laser sensing technology — relies on heat signatures to detect if a cellphone is in the driver’s hand. It also discerns whether the pupils of the driver’s eyes are fixed on the road or looking elsewhere. The sensor alerts the electronic sign which can display the message: “Put your phone down.”

But that’s not all.

The laser sensors, again relying on a heat signature, can detect whether a seat belt is across the driver’s chest. If not, the sign would flash: “Buckle Up.”

And to round out the smart sign’s capabilities, it also can detect speeding and warning drivers to “Slow Down.”

“This new tool will be able to draw a driver’s attention to all of those behaviors without capturing any personal information, without issuing a citation. It’s meant to, again, provide instantaneous driver feedback to hopefully change behavior,” Birt said.

Based on crash data, the new smart signs are being placed on roads where they’re needed the most, and because they’re mobile, they’ll pop up in different places.

“They’re going to be on the move for sure. We’re going to leave them in various locations for about a month — about four weeks is what we’ve been told, based upon the research … is what it takes to change driver behavior in a set location,” Birt explained.

What about drivers who are not distracted, not speeding and are wearing their seat belt, but cross the path of the electronic sign board’s laser sensors?

“It will flash a little smiley face, just to say, ‘Hey, thanks for being a safe driver,'” Birt said.

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