Slightly more than 25,000 people lost their lives on EU roads last year, with Eastern European countries having the highest number of road fatalities per capita across the European Union, according to figures from the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC). And although the number of traffic casualties has decreased twofold since 2001, traffic accidents involving pedestrians remain one of the major causes of serious road traffic injuries and deaths in Europe, especially in cities.
Psychological devastation aside, the long-time economic burden from these accidents is significant. Therefore, many countries are looking to implement innovative solutions that can reduce the number of such incidents.
One such solution is the Smart Pedestrian Crosswalk, developed by Bercman Technologies, a hi-tech company headquartered in Tartu, Estonia.
The Smart Pedestrian Crosswalk (SPC) system is a smart traffic sign, which can be used anywhere, where increased pedestrian safety and data input are required. SPC uses AI, V2X, sensor fusion and more than 30 different features to adapt to different traffic situations and weather conditions. SPC can detect pedestrians and vehicles, monitor their movement, predict their trajectories and as a result – give the most effective warning signals according to the danger level to decrease the probability for accidents at uncontrolled crossings.
Self-driving vehicles on the horizon
SPC is the first product in line for Bercman Technologies, a company dedicated to developing Smart City, Smart Road and Mobility related innovative products and services for ITS and C-ITS applications.
The first Smart Pedestrian Crosswalk was tested earlier this year in Helsinki’s seaside district of Jätkäsaari, as a part of 4 experiments involving new traffic and mobility services or solutions in a real urban environment.
Days ago, Bercman installed yet another SPC in their hometown, in partnership with SmartEnCity, a project funded under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
As for the future of Bercman’s young team, it may be in devising hardware and software solutions for self-driving vehicles. The Estonian company believes connected and autonomous vehicles will transform urban mobility for all demographic groups, especially for children and senior citizens.
