Within the space of a month, India’s leading developer of artificial intelligence- and deep learning-powered (AI & DL) video surveillance systems, Videonetics, has launched detection technology that recognizes whether drivers are wearing seatbelts or using cell phones.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO), about 1.3 million people die in road crashes and 20-50 million are injured every year, globally, with the risk of dying in a traffic accident more than three times higher in low-income countries.
Wearing a seat-belt reduces the risk of death among drivers and front seat passengers by 45-50%, and the risk of death and serious injuries among rear seat occupants by 25%. Videonetics has introduced ‘No Seat Belt Detection’ technology, which aims to detect in real time those drivers who are not wearing seatbelt while driving any type of four-wheel vehicle, consequently violating the country’s traffic laws and putting their lives at risk.
Powered by the company’s patented AI & DL technology, the No Seat Belt Detection system has been ‘trained’ with five years of real-time video data to ensure the highest levels of precision in identifying the most dangerous driving risks even in tough environmental conditions, including night-time.
The technology analyzes and identifies unbelted drivers of any vehicle, including private cars, taxis, buses and trucks. After capturing the number plate of the violating vehicle with ALPR (automatic license plate recognition) software, the system generates alerts with the evidence video. The technology can seamlessly assimilate with the company’s Integrated e-Challan/e-Ticket Management Software to generate evidence files with details such as violation image, time stamp, date and vehicle number.
In January, Videonetics launched a similar AI & DL-powered video-based technology to detect in real time motorists using cellphones while driving. According to WHO, India currently has highest number of road deaths in the world, with distracted driving behavior and cell phone usage identified as a particular problem across the country.
As with the seatbelt usage system, ‘Detection of Use of Cellphone While Driving’ technology is integrated with Videonetics’s Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) suite to enhance real-time traffic monitoring, identify and process offences, and enforce the country’s traffic regulations. The ITMS platform is successfully deployed in many major Indian cities, including Kolkata, Ranchi, Indore, Bhopal and Bangalore, as part of the country’s national smart city program.
“We are constantly innovating state-of-the art technologies for evolving markets. This is indeed a proud moment to launch industry’s first AI & DL-based No Seat Belt Detection technology globally. The new addition to the ITMS suite will further inculcate traffic discipline among citizens as well as reduce road crashes,” said Dr Tinku Acharya, founder and MD of Videonetics.
“Our Detection of Use of Cellphone while Driving Solution Technology also promises to increase road safety, curb traffic accidents, and eventually to make country smarter and safe.”