State and local governments are stepping into 2022 with a renewed sense of purpose as they shift from crisis response to proactive community leadership. The new year is a time for governments, Departments of Transportations (DOTs) and those in traffic management to assess their current data strategy and determine how it can be augmented to help them succeed in blazing the path to a post-pandemic future.

Connected vehicle data, generated directly from millions of active connected vehicles, provides unique insights into what is happening on the roads both in real-time and retrospectively. Facing a new normal when it comes to how consumers are living and traveling in 2022, government organizations can use connected vehicle data to better understand what is happening on the roads and how to optimize their mobility ecosystems to make cities and states more sustainable, accessible, and more enjoyable places to live.

‍

How connected vehicle data can help you in 2022

Gain an accurate understanding of how people are interacting with the mobility

It is an unprecedented time when it comes to finding relevant and reliable data on consumer behaviors. Historic trend analyses pre-pandemic are no longer enough for government organizations to rationalize decision making. Instead, it is critical to understand what is happening today, and determine what new trends are taking hold. Connected vehicle data is well positioned to help accomplish just that.

By looking at things like journey volumes and origin-to-destination analysis in real-time for a given roadway, city perimeter or waypoint, you can gain a more accurate picture of what the current traffic trends are. In our own analysis, we found journeys overall are down when compared to pre-pandemic; however, the distances of journeys have increased, and time spent at destinations is longer. This type of information can be powerful when it comes to prioritizing things like infrastructure investments. And because connected vehicle data is dynamic and continually updated, you can monitor how the needs of the community are changing and act accordingly.

Be better prepared for unpredictable incidents and proactive in emergency response planning

If we know one thing, it’s that there will be unforeseen incidents on the roadways this year, and connected vehicle data can help you prepare. Whether it’s a weather event or an accident, vehicle data can illustrate how vehicles are being impacted from backups and congestion to what alternative routes are being taken. In a recent study of the February 2021 winter storm in Texas that left many without power, connected vehicle data was able to show an increase in people turning on their cars but staying stationary, suggesting many were using their cars as a power source to stay warm.

We also saw how the storm impacted roadways with many individuals flooding the airport freeway. Information like this can be impactful for government organizations both to inform immediate response (sending emergency vehicles or rerouting traffic) and in preparing for future events.

Take advantage of the grants and funds available through the Infrastructure and Jobs Act

The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure bill brings with it many opportunities for state and local governments to gain access to capital for projects connected vehicle data is foundational to. One example is the $6.42 billion set to go toward the bill’s Formula Carbon Reduction Program. This provides funds to projects including traffic monitoring and advanced transportation and congestion management technologies. The bill’s $250million Congestion Relief Program also is relevant, providing competitive grants to states, local governments and metropolitan planning organizations (MPO) for projects in large, urbanized areas to advance innovative, integrated, and multimodal solutions to congestion relief.

Utilizing connected vehicle data curated from multiple motor manufactures and millions of connected cars, Wejo makes it easy and efficient for State and Federal Governments to prioritize and improve city infrastructure to reduce preventable road incidents, ease congestion and make mobility smarter and more sustainable for all.

Read the full ebook to see all of the 2021 trends.