Automakers Working on Cars That Will

Pull Over if Driver Has Heart Attack or

Stroke
1) The car would also make an emergency call to the police and an ambulance,
honk its horn, and flash the blinker and hazard lights to alert others nearby,
according to Mazda. The automaker said that by 2025, the cars would be able to
detect when drivers are about to experience a health issue and warn them.

2) The technology will empower people to keep driving through their lifetime, and
will help reassure families and friends not to be worried, Tochioka said. Offering
Co-Pilot will also allow Mazda to get feedback from real-life users, he said.

3) As for privacy concerns, the personal data does not leave the car, according to
Mazda.

Takahiro Tochioka, the engineer in charge, said Mazda is working on ways to

predict a health problem that may be coming even if the driver may not be
conscious of it.

4) Mazda has been collaborating with medical experts, including from the
Tsukuba University Hospital, to research what a healthy driver versus an
unhealthy or incapacitated driver would look like, the Japanese company told
reporters. Once the Co-Pilot Concept feature detects an issue, such as the driver
slumped over the steering wheel, it would stop the car on the curb of the road or
another safe spot, the AP reported
5) What the car will be looking for are the ways people focus their vision, the
swaying of their heads, slight aberrations in driving habits and other subtle
changes, he said.

6) "And it will warn drivers even before actual symptoms appear," he told
reporters proudly.

7) Other major automakers, including Volkswagen of Germany and Japanese

rival Toyota Motor Corp., are working on similar technology.

8) Mazda is working to develop cars that can detect when drivers are having a
stroke or a heart attack and pull over in a safe spot as quickly as possible, the
Associated Press reported. The in-progress feature would be the newest
development in an increasingly advanced market of vehicles that have the ability
to park themselves, give warnings to drowsy drivers and steer themselves back
into lanes after drifting.

9) What's involved are data from cameras inside the car, without resorting to
laser sensors or other more obtrusive technology. And it's going to be offered in
affordable models, not just luxury vehicles. The technology holds promise for one
of the most advanced aging societies in the world.

10) "But understanding and cooperation from the drivers around that car is
crucial for this technology to work."

Mazda is hoping the Japanese public will see a driver in distress and help them
since an assumption of widespread public goodwill is characteristic of Japan.

11) Mazda plans to offer the technology in Europe after Japan. Mazda wants to
wait and see before offering it in the U.S. because it believes questions remain
about their social acceptance, although similar systems that stop vehicles are
already being offered by rivals.