Turning to AI for road safety

Cities and states use cameras and data to help keep their streets clear of hazards.

- By Jerr McMurray

SAN JOSE information manager Chelsea Palacio shows an AI road safety system.

(GODOFREDO A. VASQUEZ Associated Press)

As America’s aging roads fall further behind on much-needed repairs, cities and states are turning to artificial intelligence to spot the worst hazards and decide which fixes should come first.

Hawaii officials, for example, are giving away 1,000 dashboard cameras as they try to reverse a recent spike in traffic fatalities. The cameras will use AI to automate inspections of guardrails, road signs and pavement markings, instantly discerning between minor problems and emergencies that warrant sending a maintenance crew.

“This is not something where it’s looked at once a month and then they sit down and figure out where they're going to put their vans,” said Richard Browning, chief commercial officer at Nextbase, which developed the dashcams and imagery platform for Hawaii.

After San José started mounting cameras on street sweepers, city staff confirmed the system correctly identified potholes 97% of the time. Now they're expanding the effort to parking enforcement vehicles.

Texas, where there are more roadway lane miles than the next two states combined, is less than a year into a massive AI plan that uses cameras as well as cellphone data from drivers who enroll to improve safety.

Other states use the technology to inspect street signs or build annual reports about road congestion.

Every guardrail, every day

Hawaii drivers over the next few weeks will be able to sign up for a free dashcam valued at $499 under the “Eyes on the Road” campaign, which was piloted on service vehicles in 2021 before being paused due to wildfires.