SafeDrive Europe has unveiled its Driver Fatigue Monitor in the UK, which it hopes will help reduce the number of accidents caused by tired drivers by alerting them at the first sign of drowsiness.

The device predicts when a driver is getting tired by measuring their level of perclos (per cent eye closure) through a real time camera and computer. When the driver appears to be reaching a dangerously fatigued state the monitor will notify them using audible and visible indicators, giving them enough time to pull over safely.

It can be permanently installed into a vehicle or is available as a portable version, which plugs into the cigarette lighter.

The launch follows a recent campaign by the UK Department for Transport warning drivers to “wake up to the signs of tiredness”, which revealed that 20 per cent of all accidents are caused by tired drivers.

The Driver Fatigue Monitor was developed by sleep expert Dr. Richard Grace alongside the Carnegie Mellon Institute in Pennsylvania and is already available in the US.