Big Brother will watch Russian cabdrivers

Russia’s taxi drivers slog through long hours behind the wheel and are contributing to a surge in traffic accidents in the capital. They’re about to be forced to take more breaks.

To combat drivers nodding off, the country’s largest internet firm, Yandex, is installing facial-recognition technology in its ride-hailing unit that will cut off drivers from taking new orders if necessary.

The move follows a draft law by the State Duma, the lower chamber of the Russian parliament, to start regulating operators of taxi apps such as Yandex to boost safety after crashes involving taxis surged 25% in Moscow last year.

Yandex.Taxi, co-owned by Uber Technologies Inc., will roll out the technology via a small device mounted to the windshield that will identify exhausted drivers. The software will track parameters like blinking, yawning and the person’s head slumping forward — and potentially ban them from taking more orders. The software, based on technology from local vendor VisionLabs, monitors 68 facial points.

The approach is among tracking solutions being implemented by tech companies, car manufacturers and insurers that are pushing people to be safer drivers. Insurers in the U.K., for example, offer telematics policies that monitor the driver’s behavior behind the wheel to help calculate individual premiums that reward safe driving.

The number of accidents with taxis in Moscow, where Yandex is the market leader, surged to 764 cases including 23 deaths last year, according to the city hall.

Yandex has piloted face-recognition for drivers in 100 cars and showed it to President Vladimir Putin in May. It plans to roll out the measure to several thousands cars soon, it said.