Auburn University studying effectiveness of new technology out of Australia that measures distracted driving

HOOVER, Ala. (WIAT) -- Nearly 41,000 people nationwide died in motor vehicle crashes in 2023, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Now a research team at Auburn University is conducting a study with the hopes of helping lower those numbers.

The Auburn University Transportation Research Institute is conducting a scientific study on new technology out of Australia. They’re trying to determine how accurate this technology is when it comes to measuring distracted driving.

A large camera set up along I-65 near exit 252 in Hoover is part of this study.

The technology is made by a company in Australia called Acusensus, and it’s being evaluated by Auburn University to see how effective it is in detecting distracted drivers:

“It’s really looking at, is the driver distracted?” explained Dr. Larry Rilett, who directs the Transportation Research Institute. “Do they have a cell phone in their hand, are they eating?”

While the study is primarily focused on commercial trucks, they’ll also be looking at passenger vehicles.

Dr. Rilett says the technology uses a camera system that takes a picture of a vehicle and has an AI Algorithm that can identify is the driver is distracted.

“No one’s really gone out and evaluated it in a scientific manner,” Rilett explained.

Auburn University has a contract with the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration to conduct the research at 25 sites across the state.

Rilett says they’re essentially going out and collecting data to see if the technology is effective as they say it is. He says the technology is not being used for enforcement, and no faces or license plate numbers are being recorded.

“Whether it’s this technology or another one, to allow our law enforcement agencies like ALEA to be more effective and get the drivers who are breaking the law off the road, particularly in large vehicles, that would be a game changer," Rilett said.

Dr. Rilett said they hope to have all of the data collected by September. He says their research will be published in a final report that the public will have access to.