Could AI detection prevent tragedies on Malaysia’s highways?

This initiative aims to enhance response times from emergency services on expressways, as highlighted by road safety expert and Arids developer Assoc Prof Dr Law Teik Hua.

Currently, Arids is operational on approximately 1,000km of expressways and federal roads within Klang Valley and Kuching, although its capabilities are not fully utilised in Malaysia.

Other regions, such as Brunei and Xi'an in China, have integrated the Malaysian-developed system to improve road safety.

Dr Law said the potential of Arids through the detection of a significant crash in Johor, where the system alerted authorities minutes before official reports emerged.

"If the crash was detected earlier, rescue response time would have been cut shorter, with better survival rates," he said.

Traditionally, accidents on Malaysian highways are reported through manual means, like CCTV monitoring or direct user notifications. Almost autonomously, Arids employs neural networks to recognise accidents and other traffic anomalies while providing real-time notifications.

In addition to accident detection, Arids monitors traffic conditions and signals, aiding in the analysis of highway infrastructure, such as the need for stronger guardrails to withstand impacts from vehicles.

West Coast Expressway (WCE) CEO Lyndon Alfred Felix highlighted ongoing technological advancements in accident prediction and monitoring systems that identify hazardous driving patterns. To supplement Arids, WCE is enhancing its traffic management systems and exploring predictive technologies to bolster road safety further.