- General Motors has applied to patent technology that will score older drivers and suggest when they might need to stop driving
- Automakers often patent technologies they never use
It’s one of the most difficult decisions any driver has to make, and often prompts uncomfortable family conversations: When is it time for an aging driver to give up the keys?
General Motors has a new idea. The company may use technology to let drivers know when their reaction times are slowing.
GM last week applied for a patent for a “system and method for determining a driver retirement score.” The system would use the same sensors that power driver attention monitors today. These monitors often already track drivers’ reaction times and watch their eyes for signs of squinting to warn drivers when they might be too tired to drive safely.
GM’s proposed system would also track when other drivers honk and whether drivers use their turn signals properly and comply with road signs.
It would use these inputs to generate a score telling drivers how their performance changes over time.
The fact that GM has applied for a patent doesn’t mean the company will ever use it. Automakers routinely patent ideas for new technologies they never pursue. Some of our favorites in recent years include a Tesla patent for windshield-cleaning lasers, a Ford patent for a car that could repossess itself if you missed a payment, and a Ford patent for an in-car ad system that the company immediately disavowed.
