PLANO, Texas – Drivewyze has partnered with the Georgia Department of Transportation to provide INRIX real-time traffic alerts through Drivewyze’s Smart Roadways service.
In addition to Georgia, Smart Roadways Heavy Congestion and Sudden Slowdown alerts are currently available in North Carolina, Ohio, New Jersey and the Pennsylvania Turnpike, covering more than 3,500 miles of the most traveled freight corridors, according to a news release.
Drivewyze will be announcing more states soon.
The Georgia alerts, available at no cost to commercial truck drivers, cover more than 500 miles of roadways, including along interstates 75, 95 and 16.
“With nearly 3 million trucks integrated to the Drivewyze platform, state agencies can depend on these in-cab safety messages having a positive impact on highway safety,” Brian Heath, CEO of Drivewyze, said.
Real-time congestion and incident data is provided by INRIX, a transportation analytics company that uses advanced algorithms to analyze millions of anonymous connected vehicles traveling more than a billion miles daily in the U.S.
“When you consider that 30% of all crashes are on interstates — and many are secondary incidents where a truck or car rear-ended a vehicle that was in queue from the initial crash – it highlights the importance of these alerts,” Heath said. “We’re thrilled that Georgia is now working with us to improve highway safety. This partnership helps us expand our safety footprint by delivering truckers a heads-up on unforeseen slowdowns along several key interstates. Having ‘visibility’ to slowdowns ahead of time can help prevent secondary crashes from occurring.”
In a pilot test in the Atlanta area, with more than 500,000 vehicle “visits” (comparing those who received and didn’t receive alerts), results showed between a 10% and 16% reduction in hard braking incidents. Another study in North Carolina on I-95 showed an average 11 mph reduction in speed after drivers were alerted of a sudden slowdown, along with an average 8 mph reduction when alerted about a congestion event.
“We recognize real-time safety messaging as a key strategy to minimize crashes due to unexpected slowdowns,” Ben Lempke, assistant state ITS engineer for the Georgia Department of Transportation, said. “This messaging becomes even more critical when you factor in the additional stopping distance required for trucks and the seriousness of truck-involved accidents. Our partnership with Drivewyze has been influential in our goal to deliver safer roadways for all travelers.”
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
