By Meg Flippin Benzinga
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - April 15, 2025 (NEWMEDIAWIRE) - Artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t only helping individuals automate some of the more mundane tasks, it also has potential to improve traffic flow and protect people on the streets and in their cars.
It’s not surprising that AI is being leveraged in transportation and traffic management or that traffic management in general is a market predicted to reach over $75 billion by 2029. The world has come a long way since the first car was invented in 1885. Today, cars and trucks are packed with technology and sensors, and it could just be a matter of time before self-driving vehicles become a mainstay in some regions. And, at the same time, roads have become more dangerous in some parts of the U.S., with the number of deadly crashes across the country increasing by 16% between 2018 and 2022. This necessitates change, and is where AI could contribute.
AI’s Role In Transportation And Traffic Management
Take AI’s potential ability to enhance transportation safety for starters. Through the analysis of traffic patterns, drivers can be alerted to dangerous obstacles or crashes on the road in real time. AI can also be embedded into advanced driver assistance systems, acting as a second set of eyes as drivers change lanes and avoid collisions.
AI is also being used to manage traffic, which can reduce congestion and the time vehicles are on the roadways, emitting dangerous carbon dioxide into the air. AI can help drivers in real time avoid traffic, provide alternative routes and provide optimized routes so first responders can provide help quickly.
Smart AI built into vehicles can automatically alert emergency responders in the event a car crashes without the need for human intervention and can send location information if a car veers off a road and ends up in a ditch. Likewise, AI can also personalize infotainment systems within cars, giving drivers the information they need to safely get from point A to point B. AI can even anticipate future preferences, whether it's how the seat is positioned, or the travel routes a person prefers to take.
Iteris’ Role In Making Roads Safe And Efficient
Outside of the car, AI is being leveraged to manage traffic by optimizing traffic lights in real time to keep traffic flowing. Using data from sensors, GPS, traffic cameras and other sources, AI can attempt to predict future traffic conditions and adjust traffic signals according to traffic patterns in order to alleviate bottlenecks.
All of these improvements brought on by AI are happening today in various cities, with Latin America and Spain as some of the countries at the forefront. But thanks to companies like Iteris Inc., a global player in intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technologies, AI-enhanced solutions are being incorporated and becoming available in North America and around the world.
Iteris recently went private through a merger with Italian information technology infrastructure and logistics provider Almaviva S.p.A. Iteris makes an AI-powered suite of radar and video detection sensors, software and other communications devices. Its products and cloud-based monitoring solutions are incorporated into intersections and roadways.
AI-Driven Safety
Take Iteris’ efforts to enhance intersection safety with AI and machine learning. The company combines AI, machine learning and connected vehicle (CV) technology to make intersections safer for pedestrians. Through its platform, Iteris says it can predict the likelihood of crashes at a certain intersection. With that information, agencies can respond more quickly to emerging safety issues, prioritize safety improvements where they are most needed and prevent future crashes. All of this modeling is made available through its ClearGuide® analytics software for safer and more efficient travel.
ClearGuide can also provide minute-by-minute real-time traffic flow information covering 3.8 million miles of road in North America by processing billions of GPS data points daily. Additionally, to offer comprehensive traffic condition updates to travelers, the company’s ClearData engine executes hundreds of software programs per minute to gather real-time data on crashes, construction and work zones from over 150 public and private sources, the company notes.
Iteris’ Vantage Apex® system, which is focused on enhancing traffic detection and safety, leverages Convolutional Neural Networks. This Iteris-built AI technology mirrors human cognitive abilities in recognizing and classifying various road users, even in challenging visual conditions. The company says this advancement not only boosts intersection efficiency and safety but could pave the way for seamless integration with connected and automated vehicles in the future.
Many main roads are getting more crowded, congested and dangerous. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Thanks to companies like Iteris, with an assist from AI in combination with other important measures, traffic can keep flowing. To learn more about Iteris and its AI-powered technology, click here.
Featured photo by Redd Francisco on Unsplash
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This content was originally published on Benzinga. Read further disclosures here.
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