Why Artificial Intelligence is Set to Herald a New Era for Road Safety

With road accidents responsible for the deaths of millions each year, the emergence of AI technology may be capable of bringing new levels of safety for drivers, passengers, and pedestrians alike in the coming years.

The numbers speak for themselves. Road safety is a major issue and leads to masses of injuries and the loss of life each year. With around 1.35 million people killed on the world’s roads yearly and with a further 50 million experiencing serious injury, according to the World Health Organization, the arrival of AI solutions is timely. 

But what is AI actually doing to help prevent millions of road deaths annually? And what can artificial intelligence do that responsible human drivers can’t? Let’s delve into the world of advanced AI algorithms to see how the technology is making roads safer for everyone:

Autonomous Emergency Braking

One of the most widely implemented AI safety features in modern vehicles comes in the form of an autonomous emergency braking system. This system is designed to spring into action without relying on the reaction times of human drivers, who may not be fast enough to engage the brake should a crash appear imminent. 

The artificial intelligence system works by using sensors to detect when a collision appears imminent. This helps to engage the brakes of a vehicle faster because the technology can make instant calculations concerning the likelihood of a collision and the stopping distance required to prevent an accident from occurring. 

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), autonomous emergency braking has been effective in lowering rear-end collisions by as much as 40%. 

360-Degree Driver Views

Artificial intelligence is not only great for identifying objects that could potentially lead to a collision, but it’s also excellent at understanding the difference between inanimate objects and people. 

This has meant that the technology is great at detecting high volumes of pedestrians in densely populated areas like cities and large towns. In understanding that there are high volumes of pedestrian traffic ahead at a crossing, the AI can better assist drivers in avoiding accidents. 

In addition to this, dashcams help drivers to gain a comprehensive view of all sides of a vehicle, and AI software can help to instantly detect objects around a car. With the help of artificial intelligence, modern dashcams and sensors can utilize Internet of Things (IoT) technology to learn about upcoming pedestrian traffic or walkways and provide drivers with the right 360-degree vehicle views autonomously to help them to navigate densely populated areas. 

Upholding Driver Safety

AI can also cater to other areas of driver safety, such as utilizing a system where programs can detect early signs of driver fatigue or tiredness and warn the driver to take a break. Because fatigue can contribute to up to 20% of road accidents and up to 25% of fatal and serious accidents, this is an area where artificial intelligence can truly excel. 

Manufacturers like Volkswagen have introduced a dedicated Driver Alert System, which monitors driver behavior by looking out for unexpected steering wheel movement or deviations outside of driving lanes on motorways. This means that it can determine when a driver may be falling asleep and send a warning message to advise them to stop. 

In Volkswagen’s system, the AI will send a warning directly to the driver in the form of a visual display on their dashboard with a warning sound. If this warning isn’t heeded within 15 minutes, another will be displayed. 

Catering to the Comfort of Drivers

Ensuring the comfort of drivers can also become the responsibility of AI systems which will ultimately lead to fewer instances of accidents on the roads. 

To action this, artificial intelligence software can look ahead to real-time weather and traffic conditions to help guide drivers to their destination without running the risk of getting caught up in storms, heavy traffic, and other situations that could impact the concentration or control that drivers have of their vehicles. 

Other data systems can also offer intelligent speed assistance and can deliver more fuel efficiency by recommending the best times to accelerate and brake. 

In more advanced vehicles, we can see AI systems save the preferred in-car settings of drivers to automatically adjust seats and mirrors to optimize the comfort of whoever may be behind the wheel. Other integrated IoT systems could help to set the temperature inside the vehicle in advance to ensure that the driver is well acclimatized to the conditions throughout a journey. 

This form of anticipatory intelligence can also spread to car accessories, such as car keys, and could automatically contact dealers or manufacturers about matters like replacing your key should the car detect that a fob is no longer synchronized with the car. 

It’s through these AI systems that we can see the future of car safety is about more than applying brakes before human drivers can react. Artificial intelligence can take a series of pre-emptive measures that ensures the comfort of a driver and their passengers before a journey even takes place. In anticipating potential problems long before they appear, AI can make the driving experience far more pleasant for all involved.