Could Brain Wave Monitoring Help Promote Safe Driving and Reduce Car Accidents?

Hyundai teamed up with the Gyeonggi Research Institute to see if using a brainwave scanning device called the M. Brain helped to prevent car accidents and promote safe driving. Learn more about their insightful experiment, and the future plans for the M. Brain.
Written by Jason Crosby
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
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Even though it sounds like something straight out of a science fiction movie, the future of safe driving might involve monitoring your brainwaves. Nope, you read correctly—a recent experiment found that brainwave monitoring could actually be part of the solution to
car accidents
, and could offer researchers and carmakers valuable insight toward developing safe driving solutions. 
At Jerry, we’re here to help you develop some money-saving strategies when it comes to shaving dollars off your
car insurance
. We don’t need to monitor your brainwaves to know that you’d probably prefer to pay less on insurance premiums—so sign up today and find out if we can help. 

Hyundai gathered some safe driving insights from brainwaves

Just Auto
sheds light on a recent experiment conducted by Hyundai and the Gyeonggi Research Institute, which found that monitoring the brainwaves of drivers could increase safe driving and reduce the likelihood of a car crash on the highway by 20%. 
You’re probably wondering how the experiment was accomplished, but the researchers didn’t fit a car into an MRI machine. Instead, drivers wore earsets, which supplied feedback by measuring the brainwaves around the ears of the drivers. 
Once the driver became inattentive, the earset produced visuals, sounds, and other forms of alerts to help the driver recover attention.

Other notable insights from the safe driving experiment

The earsets, officially known as the M. Brain (catchy, right?), were able to produce some other significant results at pivotal driving moments. After meals, drivers were able to
reduce the likelihood of a car crash
by 30%. Even if their attention was anywhere but the road, the M. Brain was able to help them readjust their concentration through seat vibrations and other more subtle cues. 
Drivers were able to refocus 3x faster than without the M. Brain, clocking in at 2.3 seconds to regain focus compared to 6.7 seconds in situations without using the M.Brain device. 

What are Hyundai and the Gyeonggi Research Institute’s plans for the M. Brain headset?

We won’t be seeing the headsets pop up at Hyundai dealerships anytime soon, but Hyundai plans to experiment with them on 300 public buses to continue to collect more safe driving data. 
With the possibility of integrating the M. Brain technology in a more subtle way—via infotainment systems that are connected to seat vibration sensors, etc.—it’s certainly possible that Hyundai could start implementing their safe driving tech into new vehicles over the next several years.

Drive with peace of mind—shop for affordable insurance today

Safe driving can earn you some discounts on your car insurance—and if you’re dedicated to driving responsibly, there’s no reason you should get overcharged for your current coverage. If you want to save money on car insurance, the
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