US Road Conditions Are Reportedly Contributing To Fatalities Across The Country — Here's How This AI-Driven Solution Looks To Help

United States roadways are reportedly in a state of disarray, especially when compared to other modern countries. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the U.S. road infrastructure received a grade of "D" in their 2021 Infrastructure Report Card. This grade reflects the reality of US roads which are plagued by congestion, potholes, and outdated designs. 

The report also notes that the U.S. spends a relatively small amount of its GDP on public infrastructure compared to other countries. For instance, while the U.K. spends 2% of its GDP on infrastructure, the U.S. only spends 1.5%. This lack of investment has resulted in a significant gap between the U.S. and other countries' road infrastructure quality. For example, Singapore is the global leader in infrastructure quality, while the U.S. is ranked 13th. Even more concerning, the U.S. underperforms in road safety, with 11.4 Americans dying in crashes per 100,000 people in 2020, compared to countries like Spain, Israel and Japan, which boast a rate of 2.9, 3.3 and 3.8 respectively. 

President Biden's original infrastructure proposal included $621 billion for roads, rail, and bridges, which is a significant step towards improving U.S. road infrastructure. However, even with this proposed investment, there may still be a significant need for innovative companies to assist with the restructuring and evolution of American roadways. That's where an AI roadway intelligence company like Rekor REKR comes in. Rekor is an AI-driven data company that uses its digital infrastructure operating system, Rekor OneTM, to ingest billions of data points from multiple sources — all in an attempt to transform data into knowledge that can be used to improve transportation systems into fully functioning and safe roadways. 

Because the company’s platform, Rekor One™, aggregates vast amounts of data to train an AI model, the company says that anomalies on the roadways are easily identified. Rekor's Command software platform is then able to send real-time incident alerts to transportation management center (TMC) operators, who can take action to confirm, mitigate, and clear the roadways of any disrupting events. The feedback from these incidents is then fed back into the model, allowing it to continue learning and improving its accuracy over time. Traffic management center personnel are burdened with the task of monitoring multiple feeds and data sources, which can be overwhelming. These centers currently heavily rely on human operators to visually detect and comprehend roadway incidents. However, human observers are susceptible to missing important details, unlike AI systems. Rekor AI is revolutionizing these centers by eliminating the need for a large number of human operators. As the world embraces AI, one of its most significant advantages lies in enhancing safety and expediting emergency response, especially by eliminating human limitations in incident perception.

Additionally, Rekor reports that the Command system can detect incidents eight minutes earlier than other methods, and it can uniquely identify 43% of all events. This faster and more accurate detection enables quicker and more frequent identification and response, which can improve Traffic Incident Management (TIM) timelines, enhance traffic flow and minimize the risk of secondary accidents. Ultimately, this could enhance safety for motorists and emergency responders on U.S. roadways.

It seems that the U.S. government is taking a more concerted effort to improve U.S. roadways in the next few decades. Technological solutions like Rekor’s Command platform might be instrumental in leading the charge toward a safer and more efficient roadway system. 

Featured photo by Matt C on Unsplash.

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