Seeing Machines welcomes U.S. NHTSA announcement

Seeing Machines welcomes U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's announcement laying groundwork for new impaired driving prevention standard

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, welcomes the announcement by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which has issued an "Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM)" that lays the groundwork for making impaired-driving prevention technology standard in new passenger vehicles. The announcement was made in conjunction with the annual "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" high visibility enforcement campaign designed to stop drunk driving.

NHTSA's announcement specifically mentions Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS) as a technological solution that will be considered as part of its formal rulemaking process. The ANPRM is the official first step in implementing a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) and helps the administration gather information about benefits of technologies like DMS that can help stop distraction, drowsiness, and impaired driving.

"We are eager to continue our conversations with NHTSA and others who support reducing traffic fatalities and, as with Europe, have been delighted to be part of a small ecosystem of industry experts assisting this process," said Seeing Machines CEO Paul McGlone. "Euro NCAP and European Commission's General Safety Regulations (GSR) will require all cars, vans, trucks and buses to be equipped with technology like ours to stop distraction and drowsiness beginning next year. It is clear that regulatory momentum around driver safety is building around the world and we commend the U.S. Department of Transportation for making this critical safety technology a priority in the coming months."

Backed by over 20 years of data-driven research and by 14+ billion km of real-life driving data, Seeing Machines' world class technology is proven. Today, the Company's DMS technology has been implemented into over 1.3 million cars to ensure drivers are attentive and awake. Regulatory momentum continues to contribute to Seeing Machines' success as the Company partners with an increasing number of automotive OEMs worldwide.

Earlier this year NHTSA released a report stating that distracted driving caused 10,546 deaths in 2019 and represented 29% of all vehicle fatalities. Technology is a key component of NHTSA's Safe Systems Approach and the ANPRM sets the stage for impaired driving prevention technology that can stop a majority of behavioral traffic deaths.