White car driving forward under two white clouds getting struck by a lightning bolt on a blue background with a yellow border.Road Weather Management

Download Road Weather Management Infographic (PDF)

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technologies such as fog detection systems, variable speed limit (VSL) signs, dynamic message signs (DMS), weather alert systems, and flood detection systems mitigate the impacts of adverse weather events on transportation systems.

HOW IT WORKS

Traffic management centers (TMCs) leverage the real-time data gathered by the ITS technologies to help transportation agencies make informed decisions about traffic management and warnings.

Traffic congestion with buses, cars, and trucks on a multi-lane highway with snow and ice on the road and a large amount of snow falling over the traffic.
Source: iStock

BENEFITS

The benefits of ITS in weather events include reduced congestion, improved travel time reliability, enhanced safety, and cost savings.

  • In Wyoming, the Connected Vehicle Pilot found that more than 50 percent of drivers given a work zone or winter weather alert reduced their speed (2023-B01735).
  • In Minnesota, DMS displaying weather alerts based on roadside pavement sensors were associated with up to a 1.5-mph reduction in average speed and 2.0-mph reduction in 85th-percentile speed (2022-B01680).
  • In Ohio, crashes during snow events declined 42 percent after winter season VSL corridor implementation (2021- B01568).

 

 

ITS Deployment Evaluation

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590

its.dot.gov

U.S. Department of Transportation Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R)
 
 
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