Test SmartRoads: technology contributes to faster incident detection

Smartroads, an application developed by Scenwise and Bureau Onderweg with support from SmartwayZ.NL and the province of Noord-Brabant, facilitates quicker reporting of incidents to emergency services. In March 2024, SmartwayZ.NL published the results of a three-month test with the system.

Traditionally, coordination of incidents on provincial roads has been reactive, with the police as the initial reporters and road inspectors physically dispatched to the scene. However, SmartRoads utilizes an algorithm that detects accidents based on floating car data. The concept is to expedite incident reporting to traffic controllers, enabling emergency services to intervene promptly, thereby clearing roads faster and enhancing traffic safety.

Test on provincial road N279

To assess real-world performance, SmartRoads was tested from early September to late November 2023 on the N279 near ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Veghel, and towards Helmond. System alerts were compared with images from ViNotion’s (temporary) cameras at these sites to gauge SmartRoads’ accuracy in incident detection and its potential time-saving impact. Results were evaluated in December 2023.

Benefits and Potential Impact

During the pilot phase, SmartRoads detected approximately 90% of incidents causing traffic disruption. The potential time savings for incident handling averaged 5 minutes, with some cases seeing reductions of up to 20 minutes. Additionally, alerts were generated that matched incident reports from Waze but were not logged by the Traffic Control Center South Netherlands or the national Incident Management reporting. About 40% of the alerts identified by SmartRoads were exceptional situations involving sudden and unexpectedly severe delays, such as extended queue backup. While not all were incidents, they represented potentially unsafe conditions.

Source: nm-magazine