GM & INRIX Safety View Software Available For City Planners

Today, General Motors and INRIX Inc. revealed that their Safety View software is now accessible to transportation planners across the United States. GM says the cloud-based program gives transportation planners crucial insights based on crash, vehicle, vulnerable road user (VRU, or people walking and using micromobility), and US Census data to help them prioritize and assess the impact of road safety initiatives on neighborhoods.

“Safety View by GM Future Roads & INRIX represents an important part of our growing portfolio of data-driven software solutions and offers a glimpse into some of the innovative ways we can collaborate with the public sector to support safe roadways and communities,” said Alan Wexler, GM senior vice president, Strategy and Innovation. “We are committed to creating shared value for society and our stakeholders as we aim to lead the industry transformation and bring digital safety solutions to market.”

Using data analytics accessible through Safety View, INRIX Research released a new study examining the road network surrounding 27 Washington, D.C. schools in order to better understand driving behaviors in school zones. Some of the real-time insights that may be obtained using Safety View’s analytics capabilities and datasets, which are configurable by location, were revealed in the Washington, D.C., study:

• On a per-mile basis, there was little difference in the number of collisions or speeding between school zone and non-school zone streets; however, the severity of accidents was reduced a bit where school zone designations were present.
• According to a sample study of signs, traffic and school zone signs didn’t appear to have a significant impact on slowing down speeding.
• Speeding is more common in school zones with a higher concentration of students on free- or reduced-lunch programs (readers should keep in mind that correlation does not imply causation on this).

“As we officially roll out Safety View to our customers, today’s study helps illustrate the critical insights the tool can provide to help improve roadway safety in our communities,” said Bryan Mistele, co-founder and CEO of INRIX. “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides transportation officials with a historic opportunity to make their infrastructure smarter, safer, and greener in ways that were previously unimaginable or unattainable. Now more than ever is the time to invest in and utilize data to better inform the future of our roadway networks and to understand how things may vary based on demographics and at the community level.”

GM says the Safety View program provides a number of benefits, particularly because governments around the world are joining efforts to combat increasing numbers of deadly accidents. The recent enactment of the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes $5 billion in flexible funding as part of the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program, which was recently renewed by Congress. SS4A generates new aids for developing and executing road safety strategies geared toward the objective of zero traffic-related fatalities, with GM reminding us that applications are due by 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, September 15. GM says Safety View may help save time by providing all of the data and analysis tools in one spot.

In other words, GM and INRIX are hoping urban planners will use some of those funds to purchase the software, but they’d better apply fast to get the software into those requests. For those considering the software, GM says planning officials are invited to join a webinar to learn more about Safety View and experience its features firsthand. Additional product information can be found here.

Featured image: a screenshot from GM’s website showing the Safety View software in action.