AI on the Streets: US Cities Turn to AI for Safer Streets; new tools track hazards in real time – The Times of India

America’s aging and poorly maintained roads are forcing cities and states to adopt artificial intelligence tools that can identify hazards, signal repairs and prioritize repairs in real time — a shift that is accelerating amid rising traffic fatalities and tight public works budgets.From Hawaii and Texas to San Jose, local governments are deploying AI-powered dashcams, vehicle-mounted cameras and mobile analytics to spot potholes, damaged guardrails, unclear signs and risky driving patterns, replacing manual inspections that can take months, according to AP.AI dashcams for HawaiiHawaii is giving away 1,000 AI-powered dashboard cameras under its ‘Eyes on the Road’ initiative aimed at reversing the rise in traffic fatalities. The technology automatically identifies damaged guardrails, missing road signs and worn sidewalk markings, triggering alerts so crews can respond.“This is not something we look at once a month and think about where they are going to put their vans,” Richard Browning of Nextbase, who developed the system, told AP.Roger Chen of the University of Hawaii, who is helping run the program, said the state’s geography and older infrastructure make maintenance much more challenging. “Equipment needs to be shipped to the island… it is not a simple problem,” he said.The failure of the guardrails is a concern for Hawaii. The state settled a lawsuit for $3.9 million last year after a driver was killed in 2020 when his vehicle struck a guardrail that had not been repaired in 18 months.In October, Hawaii had recorded its 106th traffic fatality of 2025 – already surpassing the previous year’s total.Street sweeper cameras in San JoseSan Jose is expanding its pilot using cameras mounted on street sweepers and parking enforcement vehicles. City staff say the system correctly identified the holes 97% of the time.Mayor Matt Mahan said the project’s success depends on cities contributing data to a shared repository. “We could wait five years for that to happen here, or we might have it within our grasp,” he said.San Jose helped found the GovAI Coalition, which launched publicly in 2024, with members from California, Minnesota, Oregon, Texas, Washington and the state of Colorado.Texas scans 250,000 lane milesTexas, which has more roadway miles than the next two U.S. states combined, uses AI tools to assess street signs, analyze traffic congestion and scan its network.Jim Markham of the Texas Department of Transportation said AI helped flag outdated signs across 250,000 lane miles. “Having AI that can go through that and screen for that is a force multiplier,” he said.The state also uses systems such as StreetVision, a mobile tool that identifies dangerous driving patterns. In one case, data indicated sudden braking on a roadway in Washington, DC, caused by a bush blocking a stop sign.“That brought me to an infrastructure problem, and the solution… was a pair of garden shears,” says Ryan McMahon of Cambridge Mobile Telematics.Building for autonomous vehiclesExperts say these developments are early steps toward preparing the infrastructure for a future where human-powered and autonomous vehicles share the road.Mark Pittman, CEO of Blyncsy, which is working on the Hawaii dashcam program, said most new vehicles will soon come with built-in cameras. “They’re now building infrastructure for both humans and automated drivers, and they need to start bridging that gap,” he said.