Washington — Predictive analytics can be used to make roadway travel safer, the Governors Highway Safety Association says in a new report.
“Predictive analytics can expose patterns as they occur, such as clusters of hard braking, erratic lane changes or increased distraction at locations where the road environment may be confusing or incomplete,” GHSA adds. “These insights reveal fixable problems that were previously invisible.”
One example: Data that shows “repeated braking events” at a school crosswalk might reveal that a fresh coat of paint and repositioned signs could improve safety.
Among the report’s key insights is that new analytics methods can use physics and artificial intelligence-based tools to analyze driving behaviors, including speeding, hard braking and phone use.
“This allows officials to assess risk as it emerges, enabling them to spot dangerous conditions before they result in injuries or fatalities. Proactive, instead of reactive, decision-making marks a fundamental shift in road safety strategy,” the report states.
Meanwhile, GHSA calls for any data source to safeguard individual privacy by “aggregating and anonymizing” patterns of risk.
“No personal or trip-level information should be used, and all data collection practices must preserve the rights and privacy of individual drivers.”
In addition, GHSA is urging lawmakers to prioritize the passage of “proven safety laws, such as unambiguous hands-free laws and stronger seat belt laws, coupled with public education campaigns to drive behavioral change.”
The association adds that predictive analytics help determine if changes such as new laws or enforcement/educational campaigns are getting desired results or reducing risky behaviors.
“This is an action plan to prevent crashes – not just respond to them,” GHSA CEO Jonathan Adkins said in a press release. “We have the tools to save thousands of lives. What we need now is action.
“This is a call for government, community and corporate leaders to work together to help us move boldly into a new era of road safety.”
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Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication