States and local municipalities should take advantage of existing data about hazardous road conditions and driver behavior to make physical changes on roads and develop safe driving campaigns to reduce the thousands of highway deaths each year.
That’s the conclusion of a 15-page report released last week by the Governors Highway Safety Association, which worked with the world’s leader in anonymously collecting driving data to push for safety improvements. The report, “A Data-Driven Action Plan for Safer Roads,” called on state highway safety offices across the country to make greater use of the information through a process known as telematic risk analysis.
Using information from about 52 million vehicles, Cambridge Mobile Telematics said states and safety officials can identify roadways where drivers brake too hard, drive too fast or are more likely to use their cellphone or otherwise be distracted. That information should be used to make safety programs proactive by preventing crashes before they occur rather than reactive by identifying problems after tragedies happen.
“Today, we stand at a pivotal moment,” the study said. “Advanced data sources and analytics provide traffic safety officials with the means to spot danger before a crash happens and take preventive action.
“We have a chance to rethink how we approach roadway safety. Crashes don’t have to be inevitable — they can be predicted and prevented.”
For more than a decade, almost all new vehicles have been equipped with devices that record and report information such as how fast a vehicle is driving, when and where they brake hard, whether the driver is holding a cellphone while driving and other information. Analyzing that information anonymously and using it to quickly identify problem roads or areas where drivers become distracted is known as telematics.
Many insurance companies also use the data – with a driver’s permission – to identify safe drivers and offer them discounts on their rates.
“We have information that can help save lives now,” Ryan McMahon, senior vice president of strategy for Cambridge who co-authored the study with Pam Schadel Fischer, GHSA’s senior director of external engagement, said in a news release.
“By leveraging these proven insights, we can empower public agencies and private partners to intervene earlier, smarter and more effectively, turning the promise of predictive analytics into the reality of safer roads for everyone.”
Fischer led a panel discussion on telematics and McMahon was a participant when GHSA held its annual conference in Pittsburgh last month. At that time, panelists also encouraged safety officials to embrace the available information rather than wait for repeated incidents to show a pattern that identifies a problem.
In an interview after that discussion, McMahon demonstrated how quickly telematics can be used. He said after a crash the previous night on the Southern Beltway near Pittsburgh International Airport he reviewed data about the location and found the area has had an abnormally high number of drivers braking hard in the crash area, something he said safety officials should review to if they can determine why that happens.
In some instances, problems can be solved quickly and inexpensively, the study said. In one example, officials found drivers were braking hard at an intersection near a school because parked school buses regularly blocked a stop sign, so they changed where the buses parked.
The study stressed that extensive statistical testing is done on the data to verify what it means. For example, insurance companies have used data to determine that drivers with the highest rates of hard braking experience losses 103% higher than those with the lowest hard-braking rates.
One of the most common issues with distracted driving has been the use of hand-held cellphones by drivers, which the study claims make them 240% more likely to be involved in a crash. So far, about 30 states have passed laws making it illegal to hold a cellphone while driving.
Pennsylvania’s law, which makes it illegal to hold a cellphone even when stopped at a traffic light, started June 5 with drivers receiving a written warning for the first year, then fines of $50 plus court costs. State police said through Sept. 4 troopers had issued 564 warnings, but that doesn’t include warnings issued by other police departments across the state.
Caroline Cash, GHSA’s chief communications officer, said driving data is readily available through purchase from companies such as Cambridge. Some states also have deals with insurance companies or other providers and make that data available to municipalities at reduced cost.
In Pennsylvania, the Department of Transportation has used predictive analytics since 2017, spokeswoman Jennifer Kuntch said. It has a 192-page manual to help local communities use the program, and last month Tom Glass, chief of highway safety, said the state is reviewing whether it should acquire vehicle-based data and what type would be best.
“These tools allow agencies to prioritize changes that are fast, affordable and effective,” the study said. “When cities combine modern telematics-based insights with behavioral strategies already in use by safety professionals across the country, it creates a safety system that is proactive, inclusive, and scalable.
“These immediate solutions deliver meaningful impact quickly and repeatedly on thousands of roads where no one can afford to wait.”
Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.