Biometric Access Control (BAC) for vehicles is a security measure developed to restrict the vehicle’s access to authorised personnel alone. BAC devices use various biometric features, such as fingerprints, behavioural patterns, such as facial expressions, and voices, either individually or collectively, to authenticate the drivers or other personnel. The accidents involving driver’s without valid license and unknown license type amounts to 35,925 and 86,854 respectively in 2022. These numbers compel a technological solution to curb unsafe driving practices.
The Need for BAC in India
The Indian government has been keen on adopting biometric devices in various fields due to the increased security challenges. The key usages of adopting biometrics in vehicles are mentioned in the below highlights. Its importance in installing in the vehicles, namely fastening the installation of BAC in heavy commercial vehicles.
Prevention of Underage Driving
Underage driving and the accidents and fatalities caused by underage drivers continue to grow. Though several
legislative and enforcement measures have been undertaken by the government, the thrill of driving and the financial situations of the family force the underage drivers to take over the wheels while endangering all road users. Despite the awareness programs, legislative laws, and/or enforcement strategies, technological intervention, namely BAC might fasten the curbing of underage driving.
Ensuring Safety of High-value and Hazardous Goods
The installation of BAC in vehicles carrying higher valued goods and hazardous material would enhance the security of the material by offering real-time tracking of route and vehicle speed. In special cases, advanced BAC might also track driver’s health conditions which could be crucial while carrying hazmats to prevent untoward incidents. BAC could restrict the hazmat vehicle’s access only to drivers having heavy transport vehicle licence with hazardous good endorsement. BAC could largely reduce the problem of Light Motor Vehicle driver driving Heavy Motor Vehicle due to lack of unqualified drivers and prevent theft of the goods. The geo-tagging feature of the BAC could help the driver driving in a dangerous route by continuous tracking and providing assistance faster.
Enhancing Fleet Security
Accessing the vehicles only by the authorised drivers registered with the fleet would mitigate the unwanted tampering of the vehicles and theft of goods. As the BAC system would record the route and vehicle location, the fleet managers could easily track the performance and check drivers’ adherence to safety protocols and schedules. These would lead to improved driver accountability. The BAC system would also streamline the shift schedules and ensure a smooth transition between drivers between shifts.