Accident vehicle automatic detection system by image processing technology

The traffic control system was adopted on the Hanshin expressway in 1969 to maintain a smooth traffic flow and to ensure safety, comfortable and efficient transportation. Since then, the system has developed and expanded. We have installed four television cameras at a curved area on the expressway where motor vehicle accidents frequently occur, to experiment and verify whether accidents can be detected by processing the images taken by these cameras. As a result, we have found an effective method for detecting accidents or stationary vehicles. At present, we have developed a prototype system using 7 cameras at two locations for the detection. In this paper, we report on the method used and the experimental results