Uber drivers must rest

Photo: The Canadian Press

Uber Canada general manager Rob Khazzam

Uber drivers in Canada trying to work for more than 12 hours straight will soon be forced to take a six-hour break before they can hit the road again.

The new policy being rolled out at the beginning of next week will be enforced through the company's ride-hailing app, which will block drivers from accepting customers after a half a day of consecutive work.

Uber Canada's general manager Rob Khazzam said the introduction of the feature follows similar moves made by the company in other countries, as part of an effort to curb driver drowsiness and make the platform safer.

According to research conducted by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, 26 per cent of all fatal and injury crashes are attributed to driver fatigue, and in 2006, as many as 167,000 Ontario drivers were involved in at least one crash due to fatigue or drowsiness.

Similarly, an Insurance Corporation of British Columbia survey from 2014 found 30 per cent of respondents admitting to nodding off behind the wheel.

Khazzam called Uber's new feature "common sense."

"If you're a rider, you don't want to get into a car with a driver who has been driving more then 12 hours," he said. "But positively on the drivers' side, we continue to give them flexibility."

Khazzam said most Uber drivers won't even encounter a block on accepting rides because the "vast majority" are behind the wheel for fewer than 15 hours a week.