Researchers from the Faculty of Economics and Administration at Masaryk University have developed a unique app that helps identify locations where traffic accidents are more likely to occur. This app provides valuable insights to the Czech traffic police service, enabling them to take preventive measures in these areas to reduce the number of accidents.

The software analyses traffic accident data to identify the most dangerous places in the road network. It looks for clusters of serious accidents that signal a possible dangerous location. This technology helps the Czech Police use the data obtained during standard traffic accident investigations, which is usually too large for manual analysis.

The app is not meant to replace the expert knowledge of police officers. Instead, it helps police officers combine their expert knowledge of a certain location, data on the volume of traffic flows, ongoing road improvements, and so on with warnings provided by the app. Police analysts can determine if the accidents happened due to the reconstruction of a road that they know is already finished. In that case, these accidents can be ignored. But if the police officer finds a risky cluster of accidents that does not have such a clear and complete cause, they can then analyze the individual accidents to reveal it and propose measures to reduce the risk at the given location.

Compared to previous similar technology, the new software is innovative in three ways. First of all, it analyses the entire road network in the Czech Republic and is therefore able to identify potentially dangerous places not only on uninterrupted road sections but also at intersections. The second advantage is that the application allows traffic accidents to be distinguished according to their severity. Third, compared to other programs, the system does not look for places where accidents are unexpected, but where they are likely.

The software is unique in that it uses new scientific knowledge in the field of statistical identification, thanks to which it can find places with an increased number of traffic accidents. At the same time, it works with real data from the entire transport network of the Czech Republic, which is available to the Czech Police. The researchers believe that their software, which is now available in the public version for anyone to use, will enable the development of similar tools in other countries and data areas.

In conclusion, the development of this app is an excellent example of how technology can be used to solve critical problems. It provides a quick and effective way to identify the most dangerous places on Czech roads and take preventive measures to reduce the number of accidents. It is hoped that this app will inspire other countries to develop similar tools to reduce the number of traffic accidents in their respective regions.

Article by Prague Forum