Drivewyze, the provider of connected truck services and operator of a large public-private weigh station bypass network in North America, 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.
Smart Roadways extends public transportation safety programs into the cabs of connected trucks throughout their road network. 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 I-75, 1-95, and I-16.
How Do Highway Slowdown Alerts Work?
Truck drivers face unique challenges responding to unexpected traffic events due to the size, weight, maneuverability and extended stopping distances required of trucks. Fully automated messages such as “Sudden Slowdown Ahead” and “Congestion Ahead” are displayed 2 to 3 miles before the slowdown begins on in-cab equipment like Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) that are always-on and have the Drivewyze platform installed.
“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,” said Brian Heath, CEO of Drivewyze.
Real-time congestion and incident data is provided by INRIX, a leader in transportation analytics and connected vehicle services, which 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,” said Heath. “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, and 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,” said Ben Lempke, assistant state ITS engineer for the Georgia Department of Transportation. “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 congestion and slowdown alerts join other public safety notifications that truck drivers already receive through Drivewyze’s Safety Notification service, such as dangerous curves, low bridges, and mountain corridor alerts for steep grades and runaway ramps.
Earlier this year, Drivewyze announced that its PreClear weigh station bypass, along with Drivewyze Safety+ can now both be activated on Konexial’s My20 ELD. Stay in the know on all weigh station updates and news by signing up today for Bobit Connect!
