VARIABLE SAFE STEERING HANDS-OFF TIME AND WARNING

Techniques are described for providing a hands-off steering wheel detection warning. An example method can include a vehicle computer determining a real-time level of fatigue of a driver of an autonomous vehicle. The vehicle computer can determine an operating parameter associated with an environment in which the autonomous vehicle is traveling. The vehicle computer can generate, using a machine learning model, a predicted driving pattern of a second vehicle traveling in the environment. The vehicle computer can determine a time interval for providing a hands-off steering wheel detection warning based at least in part on the real-time level of fatigue of the driver, the operating parameter, and the predicted driving pattern of the second vehicle. The vehicle computer can identify a final time interval for providing a hands-off steering wheel detection warning. The vehicle computer can output the hands-off steering wheel detection warning after the final time interval has elapsed.