StreetVision predicts and prevents crashes, says CMT

Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT) has launched StreetVision, which it says is the first artificial intelligence (AI) platform that identifies road risk.

CMT said the solution helps transportation safety officials visualise and predict where crashes are most likely to occur, prioritise countermeasures and rapidly assess results through an “intuitive” roadway safety dashboard.

It provides analytics on the behaviour behind crashes, such as phone distraction, speeding, hard braking and aggressive cornering - this enables traffic engineers, planners, safety programme managers and public safety officials to access risk insights never before available, the firm suggests.

“Safer roads save lives, strengthen communities and power local economies," said William Powers, co-founder and CEO of CMT.

StreetVision measures patterns of risk and driving trends across cities, counties and other areas.

It also allows agencies to measure risks in sensitive areas like school zones, workzones and pedestrian corridors.

“For over 15 years, CMT has worked with our partners to help people drive safer, preventing more than 100,000 crashes," Powers continues. 

"This is the next evolution of road safety: using mobility insights to transform how societies invest in road safety so every community can reduce risks, accelerate improvements and build safer systems from the ground up, preventing the next crash from happening.”

Jim Markham, director for crash data and analysis section, within the traffic safety division of the Texas Department of Transportation, says: "For years, we’ve known that distracted driving was under-reported, just like DUIs [driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs] were in the past."

"Now, with StreetVision, we can measure risky driving across Texas communities every day. StreetVision helps us get upstream from crashes, finding risks before they show up in crash reports and take action before the next crash happens.”

Staci Hoff, research director at the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, explains: “We’re... able to use it for speed analytics without deploying trailers or installing sensors, which expands our reach while reducing costs. And with daily insights, we can measure the impact of countermeasures, like speed cameras in school zones, almost immediately.”

CMT says StreeetVision can identify the most dangerous locations, highlighting corridors, intersections and blind spots where risky driving is likely - even if crashes haven’t yet occurred. 

It flags hotspots near schools, hospitals, malls and highway off-ramps where vulnerable road users face the most danger. 

It can screen entire networks to determine which locations need attention, evaluate options such as new signals, signage, or lane markings, and monitor safety in active work zones and detours.

CMT's product can also run before-and-after analyses to measure the effect of countermeasures, laws or campaigns. 

StreetVision will get the road risk evidence needed to secure Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) or NHTSA grants and to build stronger cases for countermeasures.