Each year, thousands of commercial trucks travel on Florida’s roadways to deliver cargo. Unfortunately, some of these big rigs become involved in truck accidents because their drivers are drowsy. To help reduce such incidents, a software startup company has developed a mobile application that measures a truck driver’s fatigue.
The startup, called BlyncSync, was founded by graduates from the University of Oklahoma. According to its CEO, the company’s goal is to make driving easier and safer for the nation’s truck drivers, who often drive as many as 70 hours per week.
BlyncSync’s first product is an app that tracks a truck driver’s blinking patterns to determine if he or she is drowsy or fatigued. The app gathers the information with computerized safety glasses. The company says that measuring a driver’s blink rate is less intrusive and more accurate than monitoring drivers with cabin-facing camera systems. The app is currently being tested in a pilot program with five Oklahoma trucking companies.
According to federal statistics, more than 100,000 motor vehicle crashes are caused by drowsy drivers each year. When a truck accident is attributed to drowsy driving, victims of the crash have the right to sue the truck driver and the truck company for damages. Examples of such damages include medical expenses, wages lost during recovery, pain and suffering and property loss. If a victim dies in a truck crash, his or her family could file a wrongful death claim seeking compensation for funeral costs, loss of income, loss of companionship and more. Victims could begin the lawsuit process by contacting a lawyer familiar with big rig accidents.
Source: News OK, “Startup launched by OU grads creates software for U.S. trucking industry“, Scott Meacham, April 10, 2018
