Jilin police to curb drunk driving with facial recognition

China's Jilin Province will use facial recognition technology to curb drunk driving in 2019, local traffic police said.

Technologists with the local traffic police department are exploring physiological patterns for DUI (driving under the influence). High-definition facial recognition surveillance cameras will be able to figure out whether the driver has consumed alcohol from their facial features, including flushed faces, shaky breathing, and sometimes even nodding and yawning.

With the help of a second-time identification, traffic police officers patrolling roads will receive feedback data of the suspected vehicles, including their plate number and features, to intercept them and conduct further breath tests.

According to the provincial department of public security, more than 6,300 cases of drunk driving and about 29,000 DUI cases were handled last year.

Drunk driving has long been one of the major causes of traffic accidents in China. A total of 17,264 Chinese drivers were banned from driving for life in 2018. Among them, 5,149 were caught drunk driving in serious traffic accidents.