China tracking EMOTIONS of bus drivers in Beijing for THIS reason

The wristbands with sensors to monitor bus driver's emotions and vitals were first given to drivers frequent on long routes and highways to improve the transport safety management.

Image for representation (Getty)

Beijing is employing modern digital technology to improve transport safety management by giving the bus 1,800 bus drivers wristband sensors. These sensors will be used to monitor the vital signs of mental stress of the drivers. Mainly the drivers of the Beijing Public Transport Group driving on long routes and highways were equipped with sensors to raise road safety. It is to be noted that these sensors are capable of monitoring emotions like anxiety. Moreover, they keep a check on vital functions like heart rate, body temperature, blood oxygen level, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and sleep, as reported by South China Morning Post.

Beijing's motor vehicle ownership, congestion, and traffic intensity have all increased rapidly in recent years, despite the city's population of over 21 million people. Following a series of road accidents, including a bus crash that killed 27, the state-run Beijing Public Transport Holding Group decided to implement the wristbands. They were transporting people to a quarantine facility.

The Beijing Public Transport Holding Group has access to real-time data collected from the wristbands. On June 1st, this effort underwent its initial trial. This trial involved bus drivers who operated on certain central routes and in the Tongzhou neighbourhood of Beijing. "The provision of wristbands is a technical way to boost the physical and mental health management of drivers," the business that makes the wristbands stated in a post on their Weibo account.

However, some legal professionals had expressed privacy concerns about the band distribution exercise. The paper also stated that experts were worried about the bus drivers' right to privacy. While the decision appears to be sparked for public safety due to frequent incidents, Wang Congwei, cybersecurity legal affairs at Jingsh Law Firm in Beijing, said it should be evaluated if there is actually a need for these steps. It could be upsetting to ask the bus driver for so much personal information.

Meanwhile, the transport group also plans to install technical protection systems in vehicles this year to improve road safety. Based on reports, these systems will include 2,000 safety warning systems and 5,000 recognition systems to monitor abnormal driver behaviour.