Mapping road risks: How AI and data are revolutionizing traffic safety

Road safety is a critical global issue, impacting millions of lives through fatalities and injuries. Fortunately, many of these incidents are preventable. At TomTom, we utilize data-driven risk assessment, expert insights and advanced location intelligence to assist governments and road authorities in identifying high-risk areas and implementing proactive safety measures. By integrating real-time traffic insights with AI-driven models, we strive to make safer roads the norm rather than stand out exceptions.

Every year, over 1.19 million lives are tragically lost on roads worldwide, leaving countless families forever changed. Millions more are injured, some permanently. It’s a sobering reality we can’t ignore.

Governments and road agencies have a tough job. They’re tasked with making roads safer while juggling tight budgets, limited resources and, often, a lack of the right data. The challenge is especially urgent on the roads that carry 75% of traffic — the most commonly used roads that connect people to their jobs, schools and loved ones.

To tackle this issue, the United Nations General Assembly has set the ambitious target of halving road deaths and injuries by 2030. UN Member States have also agreed on Global Road Safety Performance Targets that include ensuring that 75% of travel is on 3-star or better roads for all road users by the end of the decade.

But we don’t have to accept this number of fatalities and injuries on our roads. Using a careful blend of technology and data, and carefully applying it to improve road safety, we can save lives.

Making road safety, simple

Knowing where to start with road safety improvements can feel overwhelming — we’re on a mission to simplify the process. With TomTom’s data-driven solutions, accredited by the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), we are helping governments and road agencies get the insights they need to take action — faster and smarter.

“iRAP analysis shows that one third of all global road deaths and injuries can be saved by ensuring 75% of travel is at the global 3-star or better standard. With TomTom’s leadership, partnerships and accredited data, road owners can now target investment and action to these high-risk roads where the economic returns are greatest, and we can save the most live" said Rob McInerney, CEO of iRAP, says.

In simple terms, it’s a two-step process of gathering high quality data and processing it to obtain the desired output, in this case, identifying how much traffic appears on specific roads.

Here’s how it works:

• Comprehensive data collection: We gather movement data from over 650 million connected devices worldwide. It means we can provide a clear, detailed picture of traffic density and movements across entire road networks.

• Accredited algorithm: Our specialized partners run the data through an iRAP-accredited algorithm, to identify the traffic across a defined road network and highlight the most driven roads. It’s like having a spotlight to instantly pinpoint the most dangerous stretches of road.

Beyond this, with TomTom’s data, it’s also possible to:

- Observe posted speed limits for sampled roads, and

- Dive deeper into risk factors, such as:

Observed 85th percentile speeds (as speed is a major factor in traffic deaths and injuries (NSC, 2024)).

Road curvature and gradients, which can contribute to risk.

Other geospatial and road condition insights that make safety planning more precise.

Stronger together: Partnering with experts

Government agencies face significant challenges when it comes to improving the safety of our roads. Road safety can’t be improved overnight and knowing where to start can feel overwhelming, especially with thousands of kilometers of road networks to assess and limited budgets to allocate.

With 75% of traffic targeted to travel on 3-star or better roads, this benchmark provides a clear starting point, helping agencies understand the scale of the challenge ahead. By leveraging high-quality, ready-to-use data, agencies can eliminate costly and time-consuming fieldwork, allowing for faster and more efficient decision-making. Understanding detailed risk factors — such as speed, road curvature and gradients — can deliver a comprehensive view of road safety risks, ensuring that investments are directed where they will have the greatest impact. This data-driven approach helps governments prioritize road safety improvements strategically, allocate resources effectively and align with global targets like the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Indeed, achieving global targets is much easier with collaboration, which is why we partner with some of the best in the business: Agilysis and Abley. These experts bring incredible skills to the table, amplifying the impact of our data.

Agilysis combines traffic data with a deep understanding of human behavior. The company identifies high-risk areas and recommends safe system focused strategies that save lives.

“Agilysis has partnered with TomTom since 2023 and we have already used its data in six countries in projects relating to road safety research and evaluation. The ability to carry out analysis of vehicle speeds and volumes using incredibly fresh data, with a high sample size, enables us to deliver rapid insight to inform road authorities of complex traffic and safety issues at all levels of the road hierarchy,” Richard Owen, CEO and Road Safety Specialist, Agilysis says.

Similarly, as transportation and geospatial experts, Abley transforms complex data into clear, actionable insights that help governments and organizations build safer, more efficient transportation networks.

“Abley’s deep domain knowledge in transportation engineering, combined with our partnership with TomTom, enables us to provide invaluable insights into road safety and transport network management. By leveraging TomTom’s data, we’re able to derive where 75% of traffic occurs on a defined road network. We can then help road agencies identify key risk areas and target effective changes to optimize their infrastructure. This collaboration allows us to deliver targeted, data-driven solutions that make roads safer and more efficient for everyone,” Steve Abley, CEO of Abley, explains.

Beyond data: Expertise, insights and tailored solutions

At TomTom, after decades of studying traffic and road use, we know that improving road safety in meaningful ways requires more than just data — it demands deep expertise and solutions tailored to specific problems. The best way to achieve this is to collaborate with industry-leading partners, like Agilysis and Abley, who specialize in road safety, geospatial analysis and traffic engineering.

Partners like these bring domain-specific knowledge and cutting-edge technology to the table, enabling us to extend and customize location technologies for governments and road agencies worldwide, and build on our market leading data.

Whether it’s integrating 3D road mapping, applying behavioral risk analysis or optimizing transport networks, our partners ensure that TomTom’s high-quality data translates into real change. Together, we empower road authorities with the insights they need to make informed, data-driven decisions — ultimately creating safer, smarter roads for everyone.