Intelligent Steering Wheel

Road accidents are on the rise in Malaysia. A recent study shows that more than 90% of car accidents are caused by human error, particularly drivers’ distraction. One of the main distraction for drivers is the use of mobile phone while driving, particularly texting and driving. A recent study done in the UK reveals that driving while texting is more dangerous than driving while intoxicated or drunk. This concern is echoed by the traffic police officers that we interviewed at the IPD Seberang Perai Tengah Cawangan Trafik. We came up with the idea of Intelligent Smart Wheel (ISW) to tackle this problem. ISW requires the users to place both their hands on the steering wheel at all times. If the sensors in the car detect a missing hand, it will deactivate the throttle system to slow down the car and also activate the car emergency lights to indicate to others that the driver in the car is currently being distracted by the use of the phone. We showed our prototype to our school teachers and have gotten support and encouragement for such a device to be installed to keep their loved ones safe.