The Roads Can’t Talk, but Data Can
March 20, 2025 by Kate Nadolski
The Roads Can’t Talk, but Data Can
In the first nine months of 2024, traffic crashes claimed the lives of 29,135 people, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
While it’s impossible to pinpoint when or where these incidents will happen, public safety agencies now have the power to stay ahead with data-driven analytics — tools that help prevent crashes before drivers even hit the road. By collecting, tracking, and analyzing traffic data, agencies can make smarter decisions that improve safety and reduce risk on the roadways.
How can your agency utilize traffic data for improved safety on the roadways?
1. Identify High-Risk Areas
As community members and patrol officers can attest to, every community seemingly has areas known for traffic stops. Whether it’s running through a stop sign, turning right on a red even though signage is posted not to, or speeding, these are common elements that can be mitigated with data.
The collection and tracking of citation and crash data empowers officers to generate heat maps that highlight crash and citation hotspots. These heat maps can then be utilized to make data-driven decisions regarding the allocation of resources and the implementation of preventative measures. The overall desire being to decrease the number of crashes and improve the safety of everyone on the road.
2. Showcasing Traffic Trends Over Time
Officers can continuously collect data through citations, parking violations, traffic stops, and mandatory stop data with easy-to-use analytics tools. Over time, agencies can turn data into important narratives that make an impact.
All data collected can be transformed into user-friendly dashboards and other visual elements like charts and line graphs. From there, agencies can identify trends that focus on the effectiveness of current enforcement measures or tactics, readjust as necessary, and highlighting potential seasonal patterns.
3. Educating the Public and Improving Transparency
Public-facing dashboards created from traffic data not only boost transparency but also play a critical role in community engagement. By making this data accessible to the public, agencies help residents understand traffic risks in their areas, including:
- Frequent crash locations
- High-risk times
- Potential hazards
When people can see real-time data on traffic patterns, they become more aware of the issues affecting their community, which can lead to greater support for enforcement measures. This transparency fosters trust between law enforcement agencies and the public, as citizens can see that their safety is being actively addressed with real, data-backed insights.
4. Using Data to Help Drive Policy Change
Data can be a powerful driver for policy change, providing undeniable evidence that supports key decisions. For instance, it can be used to back up proposals for road safety improvements, such as the need for better signage, traffic lights, or road redesigns in accident-prone areas.
Traffic data also plays a pivotal role in securing funding for traffic enforcement programs and infrastructure updates by demonstrating the immediate need for enhanced resources. By presenting detailed data in a visual format, such as heat maps or trend graphs, agencies can communicate the urgency of traffic safety issues to decision-makers more effectively.
This data-driven approach is essential for influencing legislative bodies or local government officials to prioritize road safety and commit to funding necessary changes. In turn, this leads to stronger, more effective policies that can reduce accidents and save lives.
Giving the Green Light: Take the First Step in Your Agencies Data Conversation
When agencies harness their data to tell compelling visual stories, they drive better outcomes. Whether improving traffic enforcement strategies, raising awareness about safety risks, or influencing policy decisions, data visualization is a powerful tool that turns insights into action — the type of action that saves lives. A big reward for a process that doesn’t have to be a heavy lift for public safety agencies.
If your agency is ready to utilize its traffic data to make an impact, explore the Enforcement Mobile Analytics feature within Tyler’s Enforcement Mobile solution.