As we head into this fall season in all its glory of colorful foliage and chilly temperatures, it’s a good reminder to keep traffic safety top of mind, as October is historically one of the highest months for fatal traffic accidents after the summer months. With the days growing shorter and the nights growing longer — it’s even more important that drivers be aware of the most vulnerable road users who share the streets with vehicles.
As autumn brings its festivities with people gearing up for the holidays in Canada and the U.S. with a hint of pumpkin and nutmeg spice in all forms of food and drink, an underlying danger remains lurking about. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), October (after July, and August) has the highest number of fatal car accidents. Some possible causes for October seeing higher incidents include:
- Unpredictable weather patterns that bring increased amounts of rain, fog, and frost.
- Shorter days with less daylight mean driving in darker conditions when accidents are twice as likely.
- Heavier traffic on the roads during rush hour peak times in the morning and evening on the way to and from work and school.
- Harvest time and construction project wrapup before the winter months means larger vehicles and specialized equipment on the road.
- Increased pedestrian traffic, notably on Halloween night, with families and your people out collecting as much candy as possible.
All these factors can make driving conditions challenging, especially at locations where accidents are prone to happen.
Being More Proactive This Fall
Knowing that October can be a difficult month, it falls upon traffic safety practitioners to take a more proactive approach to mitigate any serious harm to road users. Enter the TrafxSAFE product suite to help practitioners proactively predict, diagnose, and address traffic safety challenges without waiting for years of crash data
TrafxSAFE’s advanced video analytics platform incorporates computer vision and artificial intelligence to identify safety risks at potential hotspots. TrafxSAFE identifies and classifies users of the transportation system, including cars, buses, heavy/farming equipment, motorcycles, cyclists, pedestrians, and even trains at rail crossings, analyzes their trajectories, calculates their speeds, and identifies conflicts between them. The patented technology in TrafxSAFE detects dangerous interactions between road users to help predict, diagnose, and address safety issues allowing decision-makers to proactively quantify the safety risks at any given location and across entire systems.
To learn more about how we can help with your efforts to make your community safer for all road users, get in touch with us today.