Mazda Motor said it would launch a new model in 2022 with its Co-Pilot driver assist system, technology which can bring a vehicle to a stop safely on the roadside in the event the driver is incapacitated or falls asleep, according to reports in Japan.

Co-Pilot, unveiled last June, judges whether to intervene by analysing the driver’s posture and line of sight. It will automatically make a call to alert the emergency services. If it detects the driver has lost control, it will honk the horn and flash the hazard lights while taking control and bringing the vehicle to a safe stop.

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Mazda also said it would launch a model equipped with a driver-assist system able to change lanes automatically on an expressway in 2025, or soon after.

Takahiro Tochioka, the engineer responsible for Co-Pilot development, said in a statement: “The system aims to protect the car’s occupants and ensure safety in a similar way to an aircraft’s co-pilot.”

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