2. Literature Survey The literature inspiring the background and development of the driver distraction detection technique will be discussed in this section of the thesis. It is very important to identify and understand how driver distraction occurs and how various activities can have an effect on the behavior of the driver which may eventually cause the driver to be distracted. This is important for understanding and considering all aspects of the driver’s actions or behavior which have the ability to cause driver distraction for developing an effective algorithm for detecting driver distraction. Brief information on the existing approaches which were used as an inspiration for the development of the driver distraction detection algorithm …show more content…
The rate of distraction related crashes is escalating with the increasing popularity of mobile phones, wireless and in vehicle entertainment devices [11]. One drawback of an increase in the in-vehicle automation like ABS, speeding warning, GPS navigation, collision warning systems is that the drivers while driving the vehicle are not as active as they should be. Drivers rely on these systems for feedback more often than before while driving which thus causes the passive driver to undergo a mismatch between the actions required for safe driving and the actual undertaken action [12]. In order to develop an effective distraction detection system, it is very important to understand the different factors that contribute to distraction. 2.1 Causes of Distraction Some examples of the most common activities that trigger distraction are described below and have been divided into technology dependent and technology independent distraction: 2.1.1 Technology Dependent Distraction 1. Mobile Phones: Hands free phone and devices like Bluetooth are not much safer than using hand held devices. There is a four-fold increase in the chances of a crash while using a mobile …show more content…
All these factors contribute towards altering the driver’s performance but they are all caused by different factors and could have various effects on the drivers driving and the driver’s behavior. Distraction is mainly related and caused due to an object, person, and an event diverting the driver or even an idea that may come to the drivers mind while driving. Whereas, on the other hand, fatigue is mostly related to the state of being drowsy and is caused due to psychological, physiological or physical reasons. Both distraction and fatigue can be considered as driver inattention. It is important to keep in mind that the scope of this thesis is limited to driver distraction and not driver fatigue or drowsiness