Researchers at Florida State University are creating groundbreaking technology aimed at enhancing safety at intersections by striving to minimize accidents and preserve lives.
A group of scholars from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering is examining how established technology and novel algorithms can avert potential collisions at intersections, laying the groundwork for more intelligent and secure roadways.
“Countless vehicles traverse intersections daily. Our mission is to ensure that this process is safer,” stated Olugbenga Moses Anubi, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and a member of the research team.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, approximately 25% of traffic fatalities and half of all traffic-related injuries in the United States are linked to intersections.
HOW IT FUNCTIONS:
The team’s approach to addressing intersection hazards is known as PREDISS, the Predictive Intersection Safety System.
PREDISS integrates data-driven analytics with physics-based techniques to enhance road safety. The system encompasses four primary phases: identify, predict, anticipate, and warn/mitigate.
With initial financing allocated in 2024, the researchers utilized existing collision statistics and autonomous vehicle technologies to craft an algorithm capable of forecasting vehicle paths and detecting possible conflicts. PREDISS employs sensors, cameras, wireless communication, and artificial intelligence to monitor vehicles and pedestrians nearing an intersection, thus allowing it to predict their trajectories and identify potential conflicts in real-time.
They are currently advancing to the subsequent phase — anticipation.
In partnership with the City of Tallahassee’s Regional Transportation Management Center, the team will deploy PREDISS at a functioning traffic intersection to observe real-time conditions. This arrangement will produce scenarios for testing algorithms and aid researchers in refining predictive models and establishing proactive safety measures.
The concluding phases — warning and mitigation — will rely on data collected from live intersection trials. Future applications might involve adaptive warning signals, augmented red-light enforcement, and even automated interventions in autonomous vehicles to avert collisions.
The hardware employed by PREDISS has primarily been developed, facilitating the deployment and testing of the system.
“We’re utilizing existing resources in innovative ways to help address this issue,” remarked project member Ren Moses, a FAMU-FSU College of Engineering professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
WHO’S PARTICIPATING:
Anubi and Moses are collaborating with Paul Bupe Jr., a research faculty member focused on PREDISS, and Joshua Hollingsworth, the manager of traffic operations for the City of Tallahassee.
Collaborating with the city provides the researchers access to data from real-world conditions, assisting them in validating their algorithms and ensuring their system can cope with the myriad unexpected challenges posed by a bustling intersection.
“Our collaboration with the city exemplifies how researchers can partner with external collaborators and stakeholders to achieve mutually beneficial goals,” Anubi commented. “This testing truly accelerates the transformation of PREDISS into a functional system that can be implemented anywhere to enhance traffic safety.”
This investigation represents the second stage in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Intersection Safety Challenge. After securing the Stage 1A prize in the 2024 Intersection Safety Challenge, the team has now achieved the 2025 Stage 1B tier II award. These successes have garnered $266,666 in funding to further their project, which integrates AI-driven technology with physics to bolster road safety.
“We are thankful to be in Florida, where the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) invests substantially in intelligent traffic management systems, including traffic cameras, real-time traffic data, and smart transportation systems to alleviate congestion and enhance safety,” Anubi stated. “We aspire to collaborate with FDOT in making our roadways, junctions, and traffic systems as secure as possible.”
WHY IT IS SIGNIFICANT:
Deadly collisions at intersections claim thousands of lives every year — exceeding 12,000 in 2022, the most recent year with data available on the Federal Highway Administration website.
Engineering plays a crucial role in mitigation efforts against these crashes. Modifying the design of intersections is one plausible alternative, but this option isn’t viable for every location, and even in newly designed intersections, additional technologies can continue to enhance safety.
“Navigating our roads should be as stress-free and secure as possible,” Anubi asserted. “The chance to contribute to improving safety on roadways that we inhabit and where our loved ones travel almost every day underscores the significance of this initiative.”
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