IoT and Winter Road Safety

Winter brings with it a set of unique challenges for road safety, the most critical of which is the danger of icy roads. These slippery, hard-to-detect and sometimes unexpectedly appearing road conditions are responsible for countless accidents, traffic disruptions, and increased public safety risks. For governments, municipalities and public safety organizations, managing icy roads requires both vigilance and efficiency. Traditional methods, such as manual inspections and reactive maintenance, often fall short.

In this blog article, we’ll take a closer look at what kind of icy roads exist, the dangers they pose, and why it's essential to understand and monitor them better. Afterwards, we’ll explore the role of IoT (Internet of Things) in improving road safety: real-time data from sensors like the DL-CWS2 Winter Road Maintenance Sensor, enables local governments to detect and predict icy conditions before they become hazardous. This way costs can be reduced, coordination of clearance services can be optimized and public safety enhanced.

So, what are icy roads and what are the different types?

Icy roads form when moisture on the road surface freezes due to a drop in temperature. This can happen due to rain, melting snow, or condensation freezing as temperatures drop below freezing. Unlike snow or normal frost, which is visible and easier to detect, so called "black ice" is a transparent layer of ice that blends with the asphalt, making it extremely difficult for drivers to see:

• White ice: Thin ice that forms when moisture from the air freezes quickly on the surface. Typically, this kind of ice is more opaque, making it more noticeable.
• Black ice: A nearly invisible layer of ice that often forms on shaded roads, bridges and overpasses. This type of ice normally arises when the water takes more time to freeze. This allows for the air inside the water to escape, thereby creating a perfect transparent ice.
  
  

  

Black icy roads are among the most hazardous road conditions, often catching drivers off guard due to their near-invisible appearance.

The impact of icy roads (stats & figures)

Icy roads present a significant safety challenge, and the following statistics from the Department of Transportation in the US show this problem:

Road safety statistics

• 24% of weather-related vehicle crashes occur on snowy, slushy, or icy pavement
• Over 1,300 people are killed annually in vehicle crashes on snowy or icy street conditions
• Injuries: More than 116,800 people are injured every year due to these hazardous conditions

Financial impact on road maintenance

• Budget share: Winter road maintenance consumes around 20% of the maintenance budget from the Department of Transportation
• Annual costs: The US government spends over $2.3 billion each year on snow and ice control operations (salting, plowing, etc.)
• Infrastructure damage: Road agencies have to spend millions annually repairing damage caused by snow, ice, and road treatments (like salt). This further increases long-term costs.

For local authorities, dealing with icy roads is often a logistical challenge. Delays in identifying hazardous areas can result in accidents and road blocks, thereby producing public dissatisfaction and increasing operational costs for emergency responses, plowing and salting.

How do LoRaWAN® gateways work in the LORIOT NMS?

Gateways play an important role in the LORIOT NMS by enabling communication between end devices and the network server. They receive data from devices, pass it on to the network server, and can also send data back to the devices using a packet forwarder, the most relevant being the LORIOT Binary Gateway Software. The network server oversees this process, guaranteeing secure, dependable, and effective network functions.

Why it is important to understand icy roads better

Given the statistics, it is clear that icy roads are a serious safety hazard and important topic the public sector has to deal with. So understanding and monitoring them better is crucial for:

• Accident prevention:
  Knowing where and when ice is likely to form allows for preventive action, such as early salting. This proactive approach can save lives. Additionally, the information can be made public, to raise awareness inside the population.
• Efficient use of resources:
  Salting entire cities and road networks is costly and inefficient. Especially in the transition phase from autumn to winter and winter to spring, targeting only the affected roads reduces the use of salt, which is better for budgets and the environment.
• Public confidence:
  Understanding the patterns and triggers of icy road formation enables municipalities to shift from reactive to proactive management, enhancing safety, cutting costs and improve government satisfaction.

Understanding the patterns and triggers of icy road formation enables municipalities to shift from reactive to proactive management, enhancing safety, cutting costs and improve government satisfaction.
click to tweet.

Advantages of using IoT Environemental Monitoring for winter road safety

The limitations of traditional methods for identifying icy roads (manual inspections and weather forecasts) are well known. This is where Environmental Monitoring comes in.

To be really able to understand icy roads better, IoT technology offers a smart and efficient approach. Following we present the core advantages of using IoT-based road condition monitoring:

1. Distance independent real-time information
   
   IoT sensors, such as the DL-CWS2 Winter Road Maintenance Sensor, provide real-time updates on critical weather and road surface conditions. This data includes:
   • Surface temperature
   • Air temperature
   • Air humidity
   • Dew point calculation to detect frost and ice conditions
   
   
   By having access to live updates, municipalities can make data-based decisions and identify and act on hazardous situations, even in remote or less-traveled areas.
2. Faster response times
   
   When sensors detect frost or ice, they can send instant alerts to municipal maintenance teams. This allows for rapid intervention, such as dispatching salt trucks to affected areas. Faster response times mean safer roads and fewer accidents.
3. Cost reduction
   
   Rather than salting or plowing all roads, municipalities can focus on treating only the areas most at risk. This approach reduces the cost of materials (like salt) and operational expenses (like fuel, equipment wear-and-tear and labor).
4. Enhanced public safety and public awareness
   
   As municipalities prevent accidents and keep traffic flowing smoothly using IoT technology, public safety and satisfaction improve. Furthermore, the captured information can be made publicly available, thereby giving every citizen the possibility to check live road conditions before departing.

The future of winter road maintenance

Icy roads are a danger to both drivers and municipalities. Traditional road maintenance is costly, inefficient and reactive. IoT changes everything. With tools like the DL-CWS2 Winter Road Maintenance Sensor, governments can identify and respond to icy conditions in real time. This shift from reactive to proactive road management saves money by optimizing resources, reduces accidents by improving road safety and protects the environment by reducing the use of salt.

Is your municipality ready for smarter winter road management? Contact us to learn how IoT winter road maintenance solutions can transform your road safety strategy and keep your community safe this winter. It's time to move from guesswork to precision — and IoT is the key.