MassDOT used AI methods to analyze traffic videos collected by drones at seven high-risk highway ramps, tracking truck movement patterns to better understand the causes of rollover crashes.

The project, conducted in partnership with UMass Lowell and reported in MassDOT's 2023 Q1 research newsletter, used AI to perform trajectory analysis of trucks captured on drone video at identified high-risk ramps. The AI-based video analysis improved upon prior methods that relied solely on written crash narratives from police reports, which could not capture detailed vehicle movement. The study reviewed crash data from January 2015 through February 2022 and found that over 95% of ramp truck rollovers are single-vehicle crashes with speeding as the predominant cause. Results were provided to MassDOT as safety improvement recommendations.