EL 32 - Sleep Alerting System

Drowsy driving remains a critical safety issue globally, contributing to numerous accidents annually. According to a study by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, the fatality rate for drowsy driving is twenty percent. In Canada, 20% of fatal collisions are caused by tired drivers (CBC News). In America, about five thousand deaths every year are due to sleepiness at the wheel, while millions of accidents occur because people fall asleep while driving (National Sleep Foundation). The figures illustrate why it is important to devise effective intervention measures aimed at reducing the frequency and seriousness of cases involving fatigue behind the wheel. There are numerous road accidents and deaths that have resulted from drowsy driving which is a great concern in the field of safety. Even though this has sparked increased attention among people on dealing with it, the common occurrence of these situations indicates the need for developing alternative models to improve safety levels while on roads. To address this issue, the project developed a Sleep Alerting System (SAS) that utilizes Raspberry Pi, a camera module, a buzzer, and an LCD Screen as a sleep detection system using a novel method against sleepy driving. the major objective of a Sleep Alerting System is to calculate the Eye Aspect Ratio (EAR) of an individual. EAR refers to a measure of eye openness derived from facial landmarks captured by a webcam. If the computed EAR ratio is less than the predetermined threshold, the buzzer is triggered which produces an audible alert, and a message is displayed on the LCD screen which is used as a visual alert. Hence, the system can identify sleep disruptions such as restlessness or prolonged awakenings by analyzing changes in EAR over time and rouse the drivers or notify caregivers of potential issues.

We embarked on this project with one most important aim; to address the issue of accidents caused due to drowsy driving. In these contemporary times, sleep disorders and disturbances are common but often overlooked or undiagnosed. By creating an economical and non-invasive way, we would like people to be able to follow their routines for sleeping so that they can monitor them properly themselves.

The SAS's versatility in handling different kinds of vehicles and road conditions is one of its main features. Without requiring significant changes, the system can be implemented in passenger cars, or commercial trucks and integrate smoothly with the current infrastructure. The SAS is a flexible solution for improving road safety because of its ability to accommodate a broad range of users and their surroundings.

This initiative was started because there is a growing understanding of how crucial good sleep is to general health. Although sleep disturbances and disorders can have a major negative influence on productivity and health, they are frequently ignored or mistreated. Through the creation of a non-invasive and easily navigable solution, our goal is to enable people to take charge of their sleep health and proactively address any underlying problems thereby improving the overall safety of our public roads.