Agencies that aspire to achieve zero traffic fatalities need to know where to invest for the biggest crash reductions. Advances in artificial intelligence are allowing DOTs to leverage their existing camera technology in order to extract large quantities of data that can then inform decisions about how to improve or control intersections. The city of Bellevue, WA, recently announced a plan to study footage from its traffic cameras in order to “analyze the correlation between past collisions” and near misses, according to a press release.
artificial intelligence
Computers are making roadside data collection quicker, easier, and more accurate
Researchers recently developed ways of combining the vast information available from Google Street View with custom AI programs to generate highly accurate inventories of street signs. The effort focused specifically on stop and yield signs, but these kinds of algorithms could be used to identify other types of infrastructure and even replace or augment time-consuming street audits.