Nissan's Drowsiness-detection Alert Wakes You up If You Fall Asleep at the Wheel

Nissan introduced a new feature at the New York Auto Show this week that detects if a driver is not paying attention to the road, or starts falling asleep at the wheel. Here's how it works: An alert pops up on the dashboard, making a sound, when the system detect certain steering behavior. Because it can learn motorists' driving habits and monitors how they handle the steering wheel in just several minutes, the system will notice if strange and unusual movements, or lack of movements, are being made. Drivers typically make small adjustments and corrections to the steering wheel as they navigate a road, and it's common for drowsy motorists to stop moving the steering wheel, or slow down their movements. When the system detects this type of behavior, it will push out an amber-colored "Take a Break?" notification featuring a coffee cup icon onto the user's dashboard. The system will be included in the 2015 Nissan Murano and the just-announced 2016 Nissan Maxima four-door sports car later this summer.