Why intersections need a safety layer inspired by aviation

Intersections remain among the most predictable points of risk in road networks, bringing together vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists in environments with competing movements and limited visibility. Georges Aoude, co-founder and CEO of Derq, argues that road transport can learn from aviation, where shared awareness and structured communication help identify and resolve risks before they lead to accidents.
 

Most traffic infrastructure can control movement but cannot fully understand what is happening around it. A traffic signal may know its current state, for example, but not whether a vehicle is unlikely to stop, a pedestrian is entering a potential conflict, or repeated near misses are revealing a wider safety risk.
 

Aoude believes intelligence therefore needs to become part of the intersection itself. Using sensors, edge AI and AI-powered ITS, infrastructure can detect road users in real time, interpret their movements and identify potentially dangerous situations before a collision occurs. Detection, prediction, alerts and action can form a continuous safety loop, with V2X providing an additional communication layer where relevant.
 

The technology to create these intelligent intersections already exists. The next step, Aoude argues, is to treat it as core infrastructure rather than as a pilot or operational add-on, creating road environments with greater visibility, shared awareness and earlier warnings of potential danger.

For the full article, visit ITS International.