Toyota has announced that it will debut a concept Driver Attention Research Vehicle at the Los Angeles Motor Show.

Reducing driver distraction

The company has released very few details about the mysterious concept, however they mentioned that it is a joint project between MIT and Toyota and aims to shed light on driver distractions associated with voice command systems. The automaker also said the concept was designed to reduce driver distraction before ever putting a key in the ignition.

South Africans would definitely benefit from this technology. Earlier this year, a survey by Goodyear revealed that young motorists in our country were among the most aggressive drivers in the world, and another survey further pointed out that our youth are also the most likely to be easily distracted while behind the wheel, because they are constantly on their phones updating statuses, sending texts or answering phone calls.

The solution to the problem might just be the developing of the Driver Attention Research Vehicle. Toyota’s Director of the Collaborative Safety Research Center said the LA Motor Show will give them a platform to discuss “important research findings” from an MIT-Toyota partnership on driver distractions associated with voice command systems. Chuck Gulash will also unveil a “groundbreaking study” from Stanford University that shows how a driving simulator can “enhance our understanding of how drivers and cars interact as we move closer to fully automated forms of driving.”

We will have more details on the Driver Attention Research Vehicle concept when it makes its debut at the Motor Show next week.