CMU

To tackle rising traffic fatalities, Pittsburgh has teamed up with Dr. Ding Zhao and his Safe AI Lab from Carnegie Mellon University. With a $1.3 million grant from the Department of Transportation, they’re aiming to make Pittsburgh’s roads significantly safer by 2026. This partnership falls under a larger safety program funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which is all about reducing traffic deaths and creating safer streets across the country.

Dr. Zhao’s team will use advanced AI tools called large language models (LLMs) to study Pittsburgh’s roads in detail. These AI models are really good at going through huge amounts of data, making it easier to spot risky intersections and other danger zones for both drivers and people. With this information, Zhao’s team will collaborate closely with city officials to develop and test safer street designs to reduce accidents and save lives.

The team plans to use simulations to see how different safety changes might work across the city, testing things out virtually before bringing them to life. This approach allows for careful planning and makes the adjustments more effective once implemented. Pittsburgh’s Mayor, Ed Gainey, is fully behind the project, saying that partnerships like this with Carnegie Mellon are crucial to creating real improvements in road safety.

Additionally, Dr. Zhao and his team are using an advanced testing platform, SafeBench, to measure the effectiveness of these safety solutions. It’s designed to look at everything from current driving conditions to possible future scenarios, like the use of autonomous vehicles on the road. This platform helps them find potential issues before they arise, making Pittsburgh’s streets safer for everyone, now and in the future.