By Suzie Ziegler
LAS VEGAS — A year-long partnership between an artificial intelligence company and the Nevada Department of Public Safety has yielded promising results.
Over the past year, Nevada roads saw an 18% drop in primary crashes and a 43% drop in percentage of speeding drivers. That’s according to a June 14 release from Nevada transit officials and Waycare, an AI company that focuses on traffic management and transit solutions.
Officials also saw a 16x return on initial investment and over $3 million in savings, the release said. The partnership, funded by the National Safety Council’s Road to Zero grant, was awarded to agencies to expand the use of AI, intelligent transportation systems and reduce speeds on high-risk roads.
Waycare uses AI to identify sections of road and times that are at higher risk of crashes, according to the release. Nevada law enforcement agencies then used this data to station officers at strategic points.
“This program is one way we can work together with our partnering agencies to help prevent fatalities and serious injury crashes,” said Col. Anne Carpenter of the Nevada DPS Highway Patrol in a statement.
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“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, in a statement. “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.”
The program included partnerships with 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).
Click here to read the full report of the project’s findings.
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