Technology news and briefs for the week of Oct. 9, 2022:
Drivewyze, operator of the largest public-private weigh station bypass network in North America, has partnered with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and INRIX, a transportation analytics and connected vehicle services provider, to provide real-time, in-cab traffic alerts that deliver audible and visual cues of upcoming traffic slowdowns, congestion and incidents.
Through the Drivewyze Smart Roadway program, the alerts are available to commercial truck drivers and will be active on all 564 miles of roadways managed by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Authority. Smart Roadways extends public transportation safety programs into the cabs of connected trucks throughout their road network.
Messages such as “Sudden Slowdown Ahead” and “Congestion Ahead” are displayed on ELDs that have the Drivewyze platform installed approximately two to three miles before the slowdown begins, giving truckers time to adjust their speed. Congestion and incident information is sent in real time to drivers and is provided by INRIX, which uses advanced algorithms to analyze millions of anonymous connected vehicles traveling more than a billion miles daily in the United States.
According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, crashes on interstates represent nearly 30% of all collisions, and many are secondary incidents where a truck or car rear-ends a vehicle that was in a queue from an initial crash. A 2019 Pennsylvania DOT study showed 32% of work zone crashes and 49% of secondary crashes occurred more than two miles back from the origin point of congestion.
Pennsylvania joins Ohio, New Jersey and North Carolina in offering in-state alerts.
