Seeing Machines Limited

8 November 2021

Bipartisan infrastructure legislation includes lifesaving automotive technology

New law would require Driver Monitoring System technology to stop distracted and drunk driving

Seeing Machines Limited (AIM: SEE, "Seeing Machines" or the "Company"), the advanced computer vision technology company that designs AI-powered operator monitoring systems to improve transport safety, announces that the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday 5 November, passed a bipartisan infrastructure agreement which contains key provisions to improve road safety. President Biden is expected to immediately sign the legislation into law.

Specifically, the legislation includes pieces of the SAFE Act, introduced by Senators Markey, Blumenthal, and Klobuchar and Representative Jan Schakowsky which would require Driver Monitoring System (DMS) technology to detect distracted driving. In addition, the legislation includes the RIDE Act, which was sponsored by Senators Rick Scott and Ben Ray Lujan in the Senate and Representatives Debbie Dingell, Kathleen Rice, and David McKinley which would require new cars to use advanced drunk driving technology to stop impaired driving.

The safety provisions would require the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) to carefully research DMS and begin the rulemaking process to regulate this technology. These advancements follow the lead in Europe where DMS is required in new cars, vans, trucks and buses to detect distracted and drowsy driving starting from 2022.

Paul McGlone, CEO of Seeing Machines commented: "DMS is already on the road today in systems like General Motors' Super Cruise and can tell whether the driver is engaged in the driving task or is distracted. If the driver is distracted, it has the ability to warn the driver and save lives.

"Seeing Machines welcomes this progress on automotive safety and we look forward to continuing work with the U.S. Congress and NHTSA to ensure these technologies are available to all drivers and save the maximum number of lives."

This legislation comes at a critical time in the United States. Early estimates from NHTSA point to a 18.4% increase in traffic deaths in the first half of 2021. This is largest increase in U.S. auto fatalities since 2006. In 2019, 3,142 people were killed due to distracted driving, 10,142 people died by alcohol impaired driving, and 697 people were killed by drowsy driving. DMS has the potential to reduce and one day, eliminate all of these crashes. 

Seeing Machines (LSE: SEE), a global company founded in 2000 and headquartered in Australia, is an industry leader in vision-based monitoring technology that enable machines to see, understand and assist people. Seeing Machines' technology portfolio of AI algorithms, embedded processing and optics, power products that need to deliver reliable real-time understanding of vehicle operators. The technology spans the critical measurement of where a driver is looking, through to classification of their cognitive state as it applies to accident risk. Reliable "driver state" measurement is the end-goal of Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS) technology. Seeing Machines develops DMS technology to drive safety for Automotive, Commercial Fleet, Off-road and Aviation. The company has offices in Australia, USA, Europe and Asia, and supplies technology solutions and services to industry leaders in each market vertical.

www.seeingmachines.com