The lives of almost 1.3 million people are cut short annually as a result of traffic accidents. There are an additional 20 to 50 million people who undergo non-fatal injuries, many of whom proceed to develop disabilities. Now there can be two broad causes for road accidents – bad roads or bad drivers. Road safety rules and signs exist everywhere. So where are we lagging?
Intending to promote healthier public transport and road safety, Beijing has worked out an innovative way. To improve transport safety management, the Chinese government used digital technology and distributed wristbands among 1800 drivers. These wristbands come with sensors that can detect vital signs of distress or poor health.
How Does It Work?
The wristbands are an initiative by the state-run Beijing Public Transport Holding group. According to reports, these wristbands can track a user’s physiological parameters, including heart rate and blood oxygen level, as well as their sleep patterns and mental state broadly.
“Providing a tracking bracelet is a way of applying technology to strengthen the management of the physical and mental health of drivers,” said Beijing Public Transport
The bands have been tested before on over 40,000 drivers. The bands were able to recognize several “psychological patterns.”
The Beijing Public Transport also is working towards establishing roughly 5000 sets of rules and patterns of “abnormal behavior” for the wristbands to look for. These patterns will help manage the physical and mental health of the drivers- especially those who drive on highways.
A Hit of Criticism
The newly introduced bands faced a bit of criticism with claims like an invasion of privacy, but the makers cleared that the data recorded by the wrist is limited to just physical and mental vitals.
More Perks
This year, the company wants to equip some of its vehicles with technical protection systems, including 2,000 safety warning systems and 5,000 recognition systems to track unusual driving behavior.
