Advances in Road Safety Technology
Advancements in technology in every sector are on the rise. Engineers around the world are working on technologies enabled by 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT).
In an age of so much development, it is important to use new technologies to help people. One way to do this is to improve the safety of high-risk everyday activities. Using new advances in road safety technology, roads around the world can be made safer for every kind of road user.
The Role of Emerging Technology in Road Safety
Radar guns, breathalyzers, and law enforcement interactions with the public are all examples of current road safety measures. Speed limit signs indicate safe bounds for drivers to stay within while driving. Other road signs and flashing lights indicate when extraordinary caution is needed on the road.
Still, every day there are crashes and fatalities related to unsafe driving. The fatality rates from traffic incidents in the United States are declining, and this can be accounted for by the application of new technologies like 5G-enabled road safety. The dual purpose of new technologies in the road safety field is to identify and prevent issues leading to crashes.
Emerging Technologies with Potential to Contribute to Road Safety
One newer technology used to reduce the dangers of distracted driving is cell phone blocking technology. Most often this is a smartphone app. The simplest of these technologies prohibit calls and texts while a vehicle is in motion. More advanced apps track driving speed and other factors.
Another upcoming technology for road safety is satellite technology. These satellites will be positioned high in the sky, though not as high as mapping satellites. They will use accurate pictures of incidents on the road to provide valuable information in areas without static cameras.
We need to combine these improvements in visual technologies with vehicle connectivity advancements, like artificial intelligence (AI) and IoT. By doing so, the technological innovations of today can help reduce the risks involved with driving.
Problems in Road Safety Today
Some problems we see today in road safety are created by technology. For example, distracted driving due to cell phone use behind the wheel leads to a significant number of preventable collisions. According to the US Department of Transportation, distracted driving caused 3,142 deaths on US roadways in 2019.
Other road safety problems have older roots. Every vehicle has a blind spot, as most drivers learn before getting behind the wheel. Traffic congestion plays a large role in potential collisions. Over time, some sections of roadway prove more dangerous during certain times of day or are prone to traffic accidents because of the shape of the road.
Road safety is a global problem. According to World Health Organization data, road traffic injuries are estimated to be the eighth leading cause of death across all age groups globally. Many places around the world lack the proper technology to make roadways safer. Low- and middle-income countries have higher road traffic fatality rates. Providing access to the advances in road safety technology is necessary in making roads safe for all.
Factors Driving Trends in Road Safety Technology
So what data are innovators using to determine how to design new road safety technologies? Mostly, the technologies are designed to help road users feel safer. To achieve this, data analysts need to understand why incidents are occurring, and visual evidence is key.
Using camera technology, collective data, and crowdsourcing, analysts can glean information to diagnose why certain areas are creating traffic accidents. They use new technologies to further provide information related to crashes and in turn provide solutions for safer driving conditions.
With safe design for road user experience in mind, creative engineers are working toward technologies like autonomous driving and AI-powered vehicles. Focus on newer technologies has potential for reducing traffic-related fatalities. For example, vehicles with automatic braking have shown a reduction in crash rates of at least 20 percent, according to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety.
How Technological Innovation Has Changed Road Safety
Many new technologies are being studied to help improve road safety. A subset of these technological innovations is connected and automated vehicles (CAV). Other innovative fields like IoT and AI play large roles in road safety and vehicle security. CAV and other technologies are being designed to achieve reliable road safety for all.
Effects of Vehicle Connectivity on Road Safety
5G is enabling quicker access to reports of active road hazards. With 5G technology, the road user is connected to live alerts for traffic accidents, weather conditions, and road hazards. The driver has more connectivity to available safety warnings.
Combined with this, some companies have developed ways for your vehicle to call emergency services. And blind spot warning lights can be installed in car mirrors. Altogether, connected vehicle technologies have the potential to reduce crashes by up to 80 percent, according to the US Department of Transportation.
Effects of Automation on Road Safety
Another new technology on the rise is the self-driving, or automated, vehicle. The technology is relatively new, but the applications are bountiful. Innovators are developing intermediary steps between the full self-driving vehicle and a user-driven vehicle.
One such technology is a speed limiting system. This system would prevent a vehicle from accelerating beyond a certain speed based on the speed limit, weather conditions, and traffic patterns. The entire design goal behind systems like these is a safer driving experience with fewer traffic accidents.
Companies are designing fully automated vehicles for the road. A vehicle that drives a user from point A to point B while avoiding all hazards and other vehicles will be available in the future.
Effects of Surveillance and Monitoring Solutions on Road Safety
Visual evidence is the key to any investigation into road safety. Areas that have better, and more comprehensive, camera technology make it easier to identify hazards.
A road camera may catch a distracted driver, poor weather conditions, or dangerous traffic patterns. With this knowledge, engineers can properly identify and produce solutions to actual road safety issues.
This technology is in the interest of road user safety. If an incident occurs and is recorded, the technology can create an alert for future events. These alerts can include determining factors like wet roads or excessive traffic during a certain time of day.
Recent Road Safety Technology Advances
Road users can already apply some of the road safety innovations discussed. Other technologies are recent advances that have yet to come to market. Technologies like AI, IoT, and telematics have a large role to play in the future of safer roads.
Applications of AI in Road Safety
AI makes autonomous vehicles possible. Without the innovations of AI, self-driving cars would not be able to park, react to hazards in real time, or create and follow GPS directions.
AI and self-driving vehicles present the opportunity to reduce accident rates. A vehicle can be programmed to keep to the speed limit, stop with nearby traffic, and even parallel park.
As vehicle AI progresses, traffic fatalities could be severely reduced. Autonomous driving with AI could eventually create a closed-loop system, further improving road safety. This would mean that each vehicle is in constant communication with all others, and the AI manipulates all vehicle motions to maximize safety.
Applications of IoT Technology in Road Safety
IoT is about adding connective technology to everyday objects. Household devices, such as smart fridges and heating systems, already take advantage of these technologies. IoT is used currently for consumer convenience but can also be applied to road user safety.
In road safety, advancements in IoT can provide many benefits. In-car sensors can monitor driver behavior and provide alerts if a driver appears drowsy or distracted. Various imaging sensors can be used for object detection, reading speed markers, and generally making a vehicle aware of factors farther down the road. If there is an accident, stopped traffic, or a slippery surface, IoT would enable the road to transfer knowledge of these hazards to nearby vehicles. Receiving alerts to potential hazards provides time for a driver to react.
Applications of Telematics in Road Safety
Telematics is a technology that utilizes mobile devices and GPS to transfer information digitally. The range of data included in telematics can include fuel consumption, speed, idling time, and many other data points.
The data sent and received via telematics can then be used to analyze driver behavior, particularly when user error creates collisions. Telematic information can be used to train drivers, discover important driving habits, and encourage users to drive more safely.
Telematics are also a vital part of other technologies. Safety systems need to analyze driving behavior in real time for maximum effect. Telematics provide the data for these analytics.
People and Companies Leading Advances in Road Safety Technology
From the local scale to the world at large, road safety has become a growing priority. Some groups and people have taken the lead in driving the new technologies toward road safety use.
Technologies like AI and IoT have been around for a while, but specifically driving their applications toward safety is a new and developing field.
Pioneers of Modern Road Safety Technology
There have been many pioneers of road safety technology since the invention of the car. Benjamin Katz developed the car head rest in 1921. Walter Linderer, a Munich engineer, patented the airbag in 1951. These individuals, along with many more, laid the groundwork for road safety technology.
Closer to the present time, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Regional Commissions developed a global plan for road safety, a guiding document for 2021–2030. The goal of the plan is to reduce road accident fatalities by 50 percent worldwide. This plan relies on new and emerging technologies.
Meanwhile, Together for Safer Roads works with companies, governments, and community stakeholders to actively create safer roads. They focus on blind zones, distracted driving, and the analysis of near misses as an indicator of future crashes.
Groups Working Toward Road Safety Technology Advances
Many companies and organizations are working toward road safety technologies. Such companies include Shell, IBM, and the American International Group, but there are many more.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is dedicated to making sure that innovative safety technologies can be applied for the average road user. Their focus is on vehicle cybersecurity and ensuring new technology systems work to mitigate safety risks.
Highway Care works on an international scale and focuses on improving infrastructure with better guardrails, speed cameras, and mobile traffic solutions.
IEEE is also committed to advancing road safety technologies. IEEE’s focus is on the creation and application of technology like 5G and IoT.
The Future of the Road Safety Technology Market
Some of the technologies mentioned in this article are currently on the market; others are still in development. As the fourth industrial revolution continues, these technologies will advance. MarketsandMarkets predicts that the global road safety market will grow by more than 50 percent by 2025 as a result of advancing technologies.
Organizations around the world are eager to begin implementing and standardizing new technologies for road safety. Improved road conditions, safety options for drivers, and continually advancing technologies are better for all.
The State of Road Safety Technology
Road safety technology had relatively humble beginnings. Speed limit signs, radio traffic news, and radar guns were the standard for years. Now, with advances in road safety technology, we have live camera views, apps to prevent phones from causing distracted driving, and automatic number plate reading.
The future looks bright and full for road safety. AI, IoT, 5G, and more technologies are on the rise, all with potential applications for safer roads. With think tanks, companies, and national organizations all working to achieve safety for drivers, traffic accidents should be on the decline.
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