Using a camera to take videos or photos while driving is dangerous. However, in-car cameras could also be a way to prevent drivers from engaging in these types of behaviors. This is the hope of automakers like Volvo who announced a controversial solution to combat dangerous driving.
According to reports, Volvo will start equipping their vehicles with in-car cameras starting in 2020 in the hopes of curbing distraction and intoxication behind the wheel.
What will the cameras do?
Reports indicate that the automaker will install cameras in their vehicles to monitor drivers. If there is any indication that a driver is distracted or drunk, various interventions will occur.
If the cameras sense that a driver is not looking at the road or has taken his or her hands off the wheel for an extended period of time, a Volvo representative will call the vehicle to check in on the driver. If there is no response to this call, the car will slow down and may come to a complete stop to prevent an accident.
Despite promises that the cameras will not record or store any data, Volvo has faced criticism on this decision. Much of the criticism comes from privacy advocates who worry about the implications of having someone with the capability to monitor someone driving in their personal vehicle.
Will this technology work?
Whether in-car cameras will prevent drivers from engaging in dangerous behaviors remains to be seen. However, this solution is one of many that car makers are exploring in an effort to stop preventable crashes. In fact, we already see technology in cars that attempt to prevent collisions even if a driver gets distracted or fails to react to certain obstacles.
Taking this technology further by allowing a camera to monitor drivers may seem “risky,” but the fact that millions of people suffer injuries in car accidents every year could make that a risk worth taking.
What do you think? Would in-car camera technology make you a safer driver?