Flock Group Inc., a startup that uses artificial intelligence technologies to try and improve safety on public roads, says it’s partnering with the traffic analytics software company Midwestern Software Solutions LCC, better known as MS2, to help authorities collect more precise data on road traffic conditions.

The partnership will enable state departments of transportation to integrate Flock Safety’s license plate recognition technology with MS2’s software in an effort to reduce the number of fatal road traffic accidents in the U.S., which claim the lives of approximately 40,000 people per year.

Flock Safety says that in order to reduce road fatalities, it’s necessary for state DOTs to access more accurate and up-to-date information from the roads they operate.

By integrating its LPR platform with MS2’s software, DOTs will be able to collect and import more precise data on traffic volumes and compute daily traffic volume trends. These trends will be made available in monthly, daily, hourly and 15-minute aggregated counts within MS2’s Traffic Data Management System, the startup said.

The LPR technology means that DOT personnel will be able to analyze the type of traffic on their roads with much greater accuracy, gaining access to anonymized data on vehicle types, makes and the states their license plates were issued.

Flock Safety’s chief strategy officer Bailey Quintrell said the integration of AI-based traffic analytics with MS2’s software will set new standards for roadway intelligence and “promote safer roadways and cities while helping public agencies to faithfully steward public resources.”

The integrated solution has already been deployed by Ohio’s Department of Transportation, which hopes to leverage the data it delivers to enhance traffic law enforcement and reduce instances of unsafe driving.

“Integrating continuous vehicle counts from Flock Safety into our MS2 Traffic Count Database System is an exciting opportunity for low-cost continuous count stations across the state,” said Ohio DOT’s traffic monitoring section manager Sandra Mapel.

In October, Flock Safety said it is working with law enforcement agencies to deploy sensors at road intersections in order to detect when illegal “sideshows” are taking place on public roads. Its LPR technology is said to be popular with dozens of U.S. police forces, and it also sells gunfire locator systems that can be deployed in cities.

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