Drones to detect fatigued drivers and traffic violations on Kazakhstan’s highways

Tengrinews.kz - Drones will soon patrol Kazakhstan's highways from the air, identifying traffic violations and detecting fatigued drivers, according to Interior Ministry spokesperson Shyngys Alekeshev.
Algorithm flags drivers on the road for over eight hours
According to Alekeshev, the drones are designed to spot dangerous drivers, including those who have been driving for extended periods.

"The algorithm works as follows: if a vehicle is moving continuously for more than eight hours, the drone signals that the vehicle has been in motion for too long," Alekeshev explained during a press tour of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

After receiving such a signal, highway patrol officers stop the vehicle and assess the driver’s condition.

"This is already a red flag, so our patrol officers perform a preventive check to determine whether the driver is fatigued," he added.

Drones already in operation on most highways
The Interior Ministry noted that drones are already being rolled out across the country.

"We’re now scaling this nationwide. We’re using these drones on nearly all major highways," Alekeshev specified.

The Ministry’s spokesperson also stated that the technology has already proven effective in practice, with offenders receiving drone-captured photo evidence of their violations. Police emphasized that drones are part of a broader initiative to digitally transform the road safety system, and their use will continue to expand.
Earlier, Kazakhstan proposed tightening criminal liability for the illegal assembly and use of drones.