The industry is now leveraging advanced AI-driven technologies and tools that have the potential to significantly lower accident rates, injuries, fatalities, as well as the loss or damage of freight and data. Here’s how.
Commercial vehicles play a crucial role in the U.S. economy, ensuring that goods reach every part of the country. Every day, millions of commercial and personal vehicles share the road, making road safety a shared responsibility among all road users, from construction workers in work zones to families on road trips and truck drivers transporting freight. This responsibility extends beyond just the road itself—it is up to both commercial and non-commercial drivers to ensure safe driving practices.
Fleets, which rely on mileage for their earnings, prioritize safety and invest significantly in advanced safety technologies to protect their drivers and minimize vehicle downtime caused by accidents. Despite continuous improvements, around 115,000 large truck accidents resulted in fatalities or injuries in 2021, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts report. The societal cost of these incidents was estimated at $163 billion in 2019 ($182 billion adjusted for inflation), as reported by the Advocate for Highway and Auto Safety in their 2021 Large Trucks Report. While these figures are concerning, the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) offers a promising solution to improving road safety for everyone.
Just five years ago, the transportation sector had fewer technological tools at its disposal, but today’s landscape is vastly different. The industry now benefits from AI-powered solutions that can significantly reduce accidents, injuries, fatalities, and the loss of freight and data. Here’s how:
AI-Driven Video Solutions AI supports various technologies for heavy-duty trucks, such as driver-facing cameras and in-cab alert systems that notify drivers and fleet managers in real-time to prevent unsafe driving behaviors.
AI models can be trained to identify hazardous driving behaviors, such as tailgating, distracted driving (e.g., using a phone), or even detecting signs of driver fatigue.
Driver fatigue is a known safety concern in commercial trucking, contributing to approximately 13% of truck crashes, according to the Advocate for Highway and Auto Safety. AI technologies can now detect fatigue indicators and prompt drivers to rest.
In regions like Brazil, where AI-powered front-facing cameras are more widely used, the technology has led to an 86% reduction in traffic accidents and a prevention of over 90% of fatal crashes. If implemented globally, these technologies could drastically reduce severe accidents.
Safer Routing and Real-Time Data Processing Many residential areas display signs with weight limits for heavy-duty trucks, which navigation systems use to suggest safe routes for drivers. AI enhances these systems by incorporating real-time traffic data, weather conditions, and road layouts, improving overall safety.
AI can process large amounts of data to identify rollover risks, which were involved in 4% of fatal crashes and 2% of non-fatal crashes involving large trucks. For example, Trimble’s tools have pinpointed over 4,000 rollover-prone locations in the U.S., alerting drivers to potential dangers based on speed and road curvature. AI’s ability to analyze driver behavior and vehicle condition could further improve these risk assessments, generating real-time, personalized safety profiles.
AI can also enhance safety in high-risk areas, such as construction zones. In 2021, large trucks were involved in 33% of fatal and 15% of injury crashes in work zones. AI-powered tools can help by processing live data on upcoming work zones, offering advanced warnings or rerouting drivers to avoid accidents.
In the future, AI could connect construction zones across roads, helping drivers adjust their speed in advance, reducing the likelihood of rear-end collisions.
Cybersecurity Challenges and Solutions In addition to physical safety, cybersecurity has become a growing concern in the transportation industry. Cyberattacks could disrupt critical supply chains, including the delivery of essential goods like medical supplies and fuel. As the logistics sector becomes increasingly digital, it has become a prime target for cybercriminals.
In 2022, the average cost of a data breach in the U.S. was $9.44 million, according to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach report. As hackers become more sophisticated, the threat to the transportation sector escalates. AI can help monitor and analyze patterns to detect and prevent cyberattacks by identifying emerging threats and vulnerabilities.
For instance, many transportation companies collaborate with Microsoft, which uses OpenAI to analyze vast amounts of data for potential threats on its Azure platform, processing 78 trillion signals per day.
In 2023, there were 295 automotive-related cybersecurity incidents, most often leading to service disruptions or data breaches. However, these figures likely represent only a fraction of the actual incidents, according to industry experts.
Looking Ahead Every fatality on the road is a tragedy, but the transportation industry now has access to sophisticated technologies and safety programs that can significantly reduce accidents and protect lives. As AI continues to evolve and gain adoption, its potential to prevent accidents, safeguard data, and optimize routing will only increase, making roads safer for all users.
