There have been studies that suggest drowsy driving is as dangerous as drunk driving. Exhausted drivers have significantly slower response times than their alert counterparts, and falling asleep at the wheel can leave drivers weaving across lanes of traffic.

Now, the Ford Motor Company is developing technology that could help keep drowsy drivers awake. A few 2013 Ford models will have the option of "lane-keeping technology." When the technology works, it has the potential to prevent thousands of car accidents per year.

The technology works because of a camera that is mounted on the rear-view mirror. When the technology is turned on and the car is driving more than 40 mph, the camera watches the road's lane markings to identify when the car is veering to one edge of the lane.

If the car's turn signals are off, the monitoring system assumes the drift was unintentional and sends a vibration to the steering wheeling as a warning. "If the driver doesn't correct the drift, the software is then supposed to engage the power steering and turn the car back toward the center of the lane."

In theory, the system could be wonderful, but there are limitations. When the sun is rising or setting, when there is heavy rainfall, or when there are curves, the camera has difficulty finding the lane markings. If the camera can't find the lane markings, it remains inactive.

One researcher at a Tech Transportation Institute said that in 5-10 years we will see cars with the technology to keep cars in the center of the lane -- technology in which the vehicle steers itself. The researcher said the technology already exists, adding, "It's been tested on research vehicles. But manufacturers hesitate to introduce it because the systems can never be 100 percent reliable and they introduce liability exposure."

In many situations, humans can drive more effectively than technology because we know to look for context. For example, if you're driving down the street, and a ball rolls in your path, you know to slow down because a child will likely be darting out next. Technology may not have that context, but it will never be distracted because it is falling asleep or checking a text message.

Source: The New York Times, "Trying to Nudge Drowsy Drivers," Randall Stross, Jan. 21, 2012