News and Events

Every year, animal-vehicle collisions kill drivers and passengers, injure thousands and cause extensive damage to wildlife, particularly on rural roads. Researchers at North Carolina A&T State University are addressing the problem with new technology designed to make roads safer for both people and animals.

The university transportation Center for Regional and Rural Connected Communities has developed a driving simulator to study how drivers react when animals suddenly appear in their path. Using simulation, eye-tracking and brainwave sensors, the team—Sita Ram Prasad Martha, Amir Milad Javadi, Ali Karimoddini, Steven Jiang, and Sajad Khorsandroo—collects data and develops AI-enabled tools to improve driver responses and inform advanced detection systems that can spot wildlife before it becomes a hazard.

A new video from the CR2C2 Center provides an inside look at the project, including interviews with researchers, students and partners from the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The technology they are developing can:

• Use radar, cameras, heat sensors and artificial intelligence to detect animals

• Deliver instant visual and audio alerts to drivers

• Support automated vehicles and ADAS systems in avoiding collisions

• Prevent crashes on both rural and urban roads

This effort is a step toward using advanced AI-enabled technologies to reduce accidents, preserve wildlife and improve safety in communities that rely heavily on rural roadways.

Thanks to the USDOT University Transportation (UTC) program and North Carolina Department of Transportation for supporting this research.