Strategic Traffic Management Site (STMS) at I-15 Southbound near Lake Mead Blvd
The Road to Zero program should serve as a blueprint for scalable and effective future strategies combining both technology and interagency collaboration. LAS VEGAS (PRWEB) June 14, 2021
Waycare, a leading artificial intelligence (AI) traffic management and transit solutions provider, announced today the results of a year-long program aimed at curbing traffic incidents on Southern Nevada roads. The program included the collaboration of the Nevada Department of Public Safety (DPS) Highway Patrol (NHP) Division, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC), and the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT). The results showed an 18% reduction in primary crashes and a 43% reduction in the percentage of speeding drivers along key corridors on I-15 and US-95 in Southern Nevada. A cost-benefit analysis showed a 16x return on the initial investment and more than $3 million in economic benefit and savings.
The program, funded by the National Safety Council’s Road to Zero grant, was awarded to the agencies to expand the use of AI, intelligent transportation system (ITS) devices, and strategic police positioning to decrease speed on high-risk roads. By implementing an innovative approach combining AI and predictive analytics, the program was able to strategically identify high-risk corridors and deploy dynamic preventative measures.
Waycare uses proprietary AI algorithms to identify specific corridors and times at a higher risk of crashes derived from existing local data sets. Based on the analysis of Southern Nevada, the deployment focused on three key corridors along I-15 Northbound near Russell Rd., US-95 Southbound near Jones Blvd., and I-15 Southbound near Lake Mead Blvd. NHP troopers were periodically positioned at strategic traffic management sites (STMS) to increase driver caution and vigilance. In tandem, the RTC regularly activated dynamic messaging signs (DMS) to reinforce speed limits and preemptively slow traffic.
“The Nevada DPS Highway Patrol’s priority is the safety on Nevada’s roadways. This program is one way we can work together with our partnering agencies to help prevent fatalities and serious injury crashes.” said Colonel Anne Carpenter with the Nevada DPS Highway Patrol Division.
“The combination of emerging technologies together with the collaboration of law enforcement has proven to be successful in enhancing safety, preserving capacity and effectively communicating with Southern Nevada drivers,” said M.J. Maynard, RTC chief executive officer. “The use of AI-based insights helped identify potential target areas, allowing us to increase safety and plan for preventative actions in the future.”
In addition to safety benefits, the program resulted in substantial economic savings—totaling $3,000,993—as a result of preventing property damage, medical costs, productivity loss caused by travel delays, and other agency incurred expenses due to road crashes.
“Waycare’s innovative program has shown real promise in helping improve traffic safety across Southern Nevada,” said Kristina Swallow, Director of NDOT. “As NDOT continues to build wireless infrastructure throughout Nevada, programs leveraging crowdsource technology such as Waycare may prove to be a cost-effective strategy in providing quick and proactive incident response.”
“Educating drivers and changing roadway design is not enough to combat the rising number of fatalities on our roads,” said Noam Maital, CEO of Waycare. “AI offers an opportunity to change the rules of the game – we can leverage predictive analytics to proactively prevent crashes. The Road to Zero program should serve as a blueprint for scalable and effective future strategies combining both technology and interagency collaboration.”
A full report of the project’s findings and results can be found in Waycare’s white paper: Southern Nevada Road to Zero Program: A Comprehensive Report on the Impact and Economic Savings of Predictive Analytics and Preventive Activities on Driver Speed and Vehicle Crashes in Las Vegas
About Waycare
Waycare is committed to making today’s roads safer and more accessible through its cloud-based, artificial intelligence (AI) traffic management and transit solutions. Waycare works collaboratively with traffic management centers, law enforcement, service patrol, and other agencies to bring together the widest array of data partnerships in the industry to produce an all-in-one traffic management platform. This Software as a Service (SaaS) solution enables actionable traffic safety insights and predictions including real-time automated incident and irregular congestion detection, crash prediction and forecasting, and collaborative tools for more efficient responses and planning to better serve drivers on the roads. For more information, visit waycaretech.com
About Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP)
Trusted law enforcement leader, focused on safeguarding Nevada’s citizens and visitors through traffic safety. To learn more, visit nhp.nv.gov
About the the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC)
The RTC is the transit authority, transportation planning organization, regional traffic management agency and administrator of Southern Nevada Strong, the regional planning effort for the Las Vegas valley. The RTC’s vision is to provide a safe, convenient and effective regional transportation system that enhances mobility and air quality for citizens and visitors. The RTC encourages residents and visitors to use a variety of transportation choices to help reduce traffic congestion, clean the air and improve the quality of life in Southern Nevada. For more information about the RTC and its major initiatives or to download its transit app ride, visit rtcsnv.com and stay informed by subscribing to our blog.
About the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT)
The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) is a 100-year-old, 1,800-employee statewide agency responsible for the planning, design, construction and maintenance of 5,400 miles of highways and 1,200 bridges. The agency is managed by senior department staff and the state Transportation Board, chaired by the governor. For more information, visit the website at: dot.nv.gov
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