Stop Smart

Proposing the use of smart stop signs and high visibility reflectors to curb rolling stops and the potential use of collected data for law enforcement.

The issue of drivers not making full stops at Stop signs, instead opting for rolling stops, is prevalent across the country and poses a danger, particularly in small towns, villages, and neighborhoods near schools. We attribute this behavior to factors such as impatience and low tolerance in drivers and stress in our daily lives. A rough guesstimate is these stats at around 80-90% of drivers. 

To solve this problem, we suggest using the principles of behavior science and innovation.

To address this issue, we propose utilizing behavior science and innovation.

One solution is to install a smart stop sign, an interactive light system that remains red until the approaching vehicle stops at a certain distance from the sign for a set amount of time, then turns amber, signaling for the driver to proceed with caution. Another approach is to use high visibility reflectors on the Stop signs, which turn amber when a car stops at the sign. Both of these methods serve as warning systems rather than enforcement.

In the future, the system could be improved to collect and use vehicle data for law enforcement, such as reading license plates, tracking repeat offenses, and collaborating with local DMV, to identify repeat offenders and reduce the number of rolling stops.

We are confident that our proposed solution will be effective in addressing the issue of rolling stops at stop signs in communities and towns across America. Currently, this is a prevalent problem in many areas. Our solution utilizes technology and behavior science, providing an initial approach to addressing the issue. It also has the potential to be extended to include law enforcement through collaboration with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

As a freshman, I am passionate about using technology to solve everyday problems. My father and I often discuss ways to address issues in our community. I am currently working on expanding my team and seeking feedback from parents to guide us in creating a solution to the persistent problem of rolling stops at stop signs.

I am also involved with the local youth court and work closely with the town Supervisor on various issues. We have discussed this solution with the Supervisor and local police department. Additionally, we plan to conduct further research by working with local traffic wardens/crossing guards to gain valuable insight and include them as part of our team.

We have discussed the problem of rolling stops at stop signs and our proposed solution with the local town supervisor and police department. We are seeking resources and tools to test our idea and have also received feedback from parents in the community and the Elementary School Principal and Superintendent.

A quick internet search shows that there are an alarming number of police-reported motor vehicle crashes that occur at stop signs, with nearly 2,000 incidents per day. When drivers fail to obey traffic signs, it can result in tragic consequences not only for themselves, but also for other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. Unfortunately, stop signs are often ignored, with a staggering 20% of all traffic fatalities occurring at intersections, 45% of which are due to failure to obey and 48% due to failure to yield. National statistics reveal that 1/3 of all intersection crashes in the United States occur at stop sign-controlled intersections.

Currently, there is no existing solution to address the growing problem of reckless driving due to increasing levels of impatience and stress. To protect ourselves from the potential harm caused by these behaviors, we need to find a solution. This problem is becoming more prevalent, with a greater number of drivers disregarding traffic laws and endangering other people and themselves.

Our proposed Smart Stop Sign solution aims to address some of these issues by alerting drivers, collecting data, and providing useful statistics. Additionally, it can contribute to the global economy as per McKinsey & Company estimates, the revenue pool from car data monetization can reach up to USD 450-750 billion by 2030.

Our goal is to create positive changes in driver behavior and improve road safety in our neighborhoods and communities, where children, adults, and pets can live and thrive without fear of being hit by a moving vehicle.

We believe what we are offering will become a real catalytic for innovation within this space of road safety and traffic rules.

Our goal is to decrease the frequency of reckless driving incidents in our community by 50% within the next 2 years through the implementation of our Smart Stop Sign solution. To achieve this, we will collaborate with the local Town office and the law enforcement department to gather data from high-risk traffic areas. 

Additionally, we will work with local traffic wardens to gather feedback and data on real-life traffic scenarios, such as the number of cars passing through a particular road, the percentage of vehicles that make a rolling stop versus a full stop, and demographic information about the drivers, such as age range, vehicle type, and time of day.

Our solution will improve road safety and create a safer environment for children, adults, and pets to live and thrive freely without fear of being hit by a moving vehicle. 

Furthermore, our solution will contribute to the global economy by monetizing car data, as per McKinsey & Company estimates, the revenue pool from car data monetization can reach up to USD 450-750 billion by 2030. We also aim to be a catalyst for innovation in the field of road safety and traffic rules.

We aim to implement a combination of existing and new technologies to address the issue of reckless driving. Our plan includes deploying License Plate Reader (LPR) technology in conjunction with cameras and radar technology. We will explore using LPR technology, similar to what is used for toll road charges, or more affordable camera technology to read license plates, track vehicle stopping, measure the duration of the stop and create a pass/fail trigger. Additionally, we will utilize Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to analyze patterns in the collected data and to identify and mitigate safety risks and recurring accidents. This could also potentially be used to control traffic light systems. By deploying an Artificial Intelligence Monitoring System, we will be able to monitor the speed of vehicles, vehicle type, time at standstill, and the number of vehicles on the road at any given time, using an HD CCTV camera. This data can also be used to issue speeding tickets, predict traffic jams, and take measures to reduce congestion by increasing the duration of green lights, diverting vehicles to less crowded routes, and other methods.

At this time, our solution is not yet live. However, we anticipate that within a year, we will be able to launch our solution in our town and the surrounding areas of Westchester County. During the pilot phase, we plan to deploy around 100 units of our Smart Stop Sign, and gradually increase the deployment to 500 units in the second year and up to 1500 units by the third year before expanding nationwide. Our solution is primarily aimed at school districts and suburban neighborhoods to begin with and then expand to all regions.

One of the main challenges we anticipate facing is establishing the necessary connections and networks to launch this project successfully. However, we are optimistic that we can secure support from our local town office and police department once we have a prototype to demonstrate. We have had some discussions with the town supervisor.

Another significant obstacle is the financial aspect, as we will initially be funding the project on our own. This will likely result in substantial development costs. Additionally, we will need to hire a legal team to review the product and its implementation, and to evaluate any potential legal obstacles to deploying such a solution. Despite some initial resistance from certain members of the community, we believe that once the benefits of this solution, including improved road safety for children, older drivers and pet owners, become clear, cultural and principle opposition will be overcome.

Currently, we are not partnered with any organizations for our Smart Stop Sign solution. However, we plan to work closely with our local Town office and the law enforcement department to help collect data from our local roads starting with the most dangerous traffic quadrants.

Additionally, we will be working with the local traffic warden by our school to collect their feedback and data from real everyday traffic samples. This will include information such as how many cars passed through the road, how many made a rolling stop versus an actual full stop, and demographics such as the age range of the driver, vehicle type, and time of day. By working closely with these organizations, we hope to gain valuable insights and support in implementing our solution in the community.

Our Smart Stop Sign solution provides value to the population we serve by reducing the number of reckless driving incidents in our community and improving overall road safety. This solution is aimed at addressing the growing problem of reckless driving, which has become more prevalent in recent years due to increased impatience and stress levels among drivers.

Our key customers and beneficiaries include:

• The Department of Motor Vehicles in our local area and nationally will be our core clients and as we will all benefit from a safer roads in our towns and communities.

• Families and children who live in our community, as they will benefit from a safer environment in which to walk and play.

• Older drivers, who may be more at risk of accidents due to slower reflexes and reaction times.

• Pet owners, whose pets will be at less risk of being hit by a moving vehicle.

The products and services we provide through this solution include:

• A Smart Stop Sign that uses an interactive light system to alert drivers to stop at an 'x' distance from the sign for 'x' seconds before the sign turns amber to 'yield and proceed with caution'.

• High Visibility reflectors that can be placed on Stop signs, which will be red by default and turn amber when a car stops at the sign.

• A Monitoring system that can be used to monitor the speed of vehicles, vehicle type, and time at standstill using an HD CCTV camera.

We provide these products and services through the use of existing technologies such as LPR (License Plate Reader) technology, cameras, and radar technology. Additionally, we plan to use AI technology to identify patterns in the collected data, and to reduce safety risks and recurring accidents.

Our customers and beneficiaries want or need these products and services because they will help create a safer driving environment for everyone. By reducing the number of reckless driving incidents and accidents, our solution will make the roads in our community safer for families, children, older drivers, and pet owners. Furthermore, the smart stop sign solution will generate revenue by monetizing the collected data and providing useful statistics to the DMV.

Our Smart Stop Sign solution aims to provide value to the population we serve by improving road safety and reducing reckless driving incidents in our community. We plan to achieve this through the implementation of our solution which utilizes a combination of existing and new technologies such as LPR (License Plate Reader) technology, camera and radar technology, and AI technology.

 To bring in money to fund our work, we plan to initially start off with working with the local town and applying for grants. We may look at applying to Kickstarter or other crowdsource funding platforms.

We plan to conduct roadshows of Stop Smart at DMVs across the country and to various governments organizations that may find our technology interesting and plan to run partnerships with the DMVs and law enforcement agencies. 

In the medium to long run, we plan to monetize the data collected through our solution by selling it to interested parties such as car manufacturers, insurance companies, and government agencies. Additionally, we will also look to secure funding through sustained donations and grants, as well as service contracts with governments. In the long term, our goal is to generate enough revenue to cover our expenses and continue to develop and improve our solution to better serve our community.