There are thousands of smart sensors along city roads to monitor traffic, and it is worth installing a V2X upgrade to improve road safety. This is especially true for pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.
According to the USDOT, pedestrian fatalities increased by 44% between 2010 and 2019, urging improved safety
The USDOT pedestrian safety action plan mentions V2P (vehicle-to-pedestrian) solutions that sense the environment and relay that information to vehicles. The USDOT also highlights some V2X applications. For example, warning systems for visually impaired pedestrians that alert drivers of their presence at the crosswalk.
Both V2X and smart sensors are proven solutions in transport, and it’s easy to combine them. The traffic sensors are usually already connected to an IT network with built-in cyber security, which is also suitable for V2X. On the other hand, upgrading V2X roadside units with sensors is also simple, it doesn’t require disassembly of the RSU, so we can maintain the hardware and software integrity of the device.
Just as infrared cameras can detect all road users day and night, regardless of size, shape or visibility, V2X upgrades can increase road safety for all road users.
Sensors provide valuable data used in traffic management centers. V2X brings in new, more local possibilities. A roadside unit (RSU) can detect pedestrians and alert other road users immediately. The RSU also sends the data to the traffic centers in the same way.
Roadside units in such settings broadcast various standardized V2X warnings to road users. For example Pedestrian Safety Messages (PSM) and Cooperative Perception Messages (CPM). V2X-enabled vehicles can process both of these message types. Ultimately, this will give them a more accurate picture of road events. We can even determine the position of VRUs: pedestrians, cyclists, and e-scooters.
On-board driver assistance systems can calculate a better route based on V2X data, so drivers will use only free and safe lanes.
Moreover, an RSU can take control of local traffic, which is a much more sophisticated response to dangerous situations. It is possible to turn traffic lights red to close the intersection, activate a flashing warning, or close the level crossing barrier to avoid accidents.
The solution is always adapted to the specific situation.
It is easy to see that a V2X car can play an active role in these events. However, non-V2X vehicles also benefit from V2X-connected sensors through on-board cloud services. These sensors already distribute information about various road events and weather updates.
Commsignia provides solutions to identify vulnerable road users and predict their movement. This is possible using various types of sensors, including cameras, infrared sensors, lidars and radars. Our goal is to collect and combine overlapping data to get a complete picture of what’s happening on and around the road. This way, road users will have reliable information and can then make better decisions in safety and with confidence.
