Bowie’s new AI stop sign cameras catch drivers in real time
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. - Starting Monday, the Bowie Police Department is testing out artificial intelligence stop sign cameras.
We all know red light cameras and speed cameras — but these specifically collect data on drivers blowing through stop signs.
And for the next month, it is just a pilot project — no tickets or warnings will be issued.
Social media reaction has been mixed, some drivers saying they are sick of getting caught on camera on the roads, but neighbors FOX 5 spoke with said they are happy to see these pop up.
"It's been working the past two days, I've noticed it already," said Madeleine Koblin, who lives next to one of the demo locations. Her young children are often playing in the yard, and she said she worries about their safety, so the cameras were a welcome sight.
"Excellently safer. Please keep it there!" she added.
The two cameras went up at stop signs on Kenhill Drive and Belair Drive in Bowie on Monday - the first day of school in Prince George's County.
FOX 5 witnessed car after car roll or skip the stop signs as we were out there.
There is a message board that tells you if you have an "unsafe stop.
The technology is new, from a company based in California called Obvio that touts itself as the "World's first AI-powered Traffic Monitor that automatically detects & deters traffic violations like stop sign violations, speeding, close-following and more."
"In Maryland, there were 161 pedestrian deaths last year alone. That number is higher than anywhere else in the country," said CEO Dhruv Maheshwari. "So, our goal is to build technology for police departments and municipalities to bring that number down."
When asked about privacy concerns, Maheshwari said all the data is anonymized and currently is only collecting statistical data.
If and when municipalities issue tickets, then that information would go directly to the police departments.
The company has partnered with more than a dozen other cities and police departments in Prince George's County to deploy the stop sign cameras on a demo basis.
Again, all of it is a test for now, to collect data and see what drivers are doing – cities are not mailing you tickets – yet.
To do so, it would need community input and council approval.
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Officials said it's a way to have a police presence without having an actual officer present, as they face staffing issues.
"We're not out for revenue if that's what people are asking about. This is really a project for us based on what the community has said to us, and what they've said is, 'We have a problem here at these locations,'" said Capt. Robert Liberati with the Bowie Police Dept.
Maheshwari said their data shows about 400 violations a day, and at some intersections in Prince George's County, a thousand stop sign skips.
About 20 to 30 percent of those are people blowing stop signs at 10 miles per hour, not rolling through, he added.
The Bowie Police Department is asking for all residents to provide their feedback.