A safety feature that helps reduce drowsy driving
According to a study[*] conducted by the AAA and published in 2014, most people view driving while drowsy as a serious threat to their own personal safety and a completely unacceptable behavior. Virtually all drivers (94.9%) consider it unacceptable for someone to drive when they are so sleepy that they have a hard time keeping their eyes open.
Despite these strong attitudes, more than 1 in 4 drivers (28.3%) reported having driven when they were so tired that they had a hard time keeping their eyes open. One in five (19%) reported having done this more than once, and 2 percent reported having done this fairly often or regularly.
A separate study[*] by the AAA shows that drowsy drivers may be involved in as many as 328,000 police-reported crashes a year, including 6,400 fatal crashes.
This is obviously a serious problem on our roads, so Nissan decided to help address it—we developed the Driver Attention Alert (DAA)[*] system. This technology helps detect erratic driving caused by drowsiness or inattention.
How does it work?
Using steering angle sensors, DAA monitors steering input patterns to establish a baseline or a “snapshot” of how you were driving. Then, it continuously compares subsequent driving patterns to the most recent snapshot using a statistical analysis of steering corrections.
If DAA detects driving behavior consistent with drowsy driving, it will let you know by:
- Sounding an audible chime
- Displaying an amber coffee cup in the instrument panel
- Displaying the message “Take a break?” next to the coffee cup
The system also includes logic to help address false detections such as lane changes, braking events, and even poor road conditions. It’s even smart enough to know when you may be drowsy, and also know when your driving patterns have to be adjusted to fit the circumstances.
Driver Attention Alert resets itself automatically when the engine is turned off, and you can turn the system off entirely if you wish.
The system is currently available on the 2015 Murano, and will be available on the 2016 Maxima Platinum Grade.
"A study by the AAA shows that sleepy, drowsy drivers are involved in hundreds of thousands of accidents a year[*]. The good news: we can help do something about it."
