With winter rapidly approaching, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has launched a new crowdsourcing app that allows drivers to report hazardous highway surface conditions in real time. It is the first app of its kind to debut in the U.S.
The UDOT Citizen Reports app, available for iPhone and Android, sends all reports directly to the agency’s Traffic Operations Center; operators then turn the information into traffic updates on the department’s website and in the UDOT Traffic app.
Prior to downloading and using the app, all prospective users must register and undergo online training through UDOT. The training offers examples of what specifically constitutes hazardous roadway surface conditions, so as not to be flooded with false reports. UDOT also stresses that citizens should never make reports while driving; as a result, each report has a time-stamp for drivers to indicate when they encountered the hazardous conditions.
Since the app launched, drivers have been responsible for roughly 70% of incoming reports; the remaining 30% has been split evenly between UDOT employees and the Utah Highway Patrol.
UDOT said it plans to introduce expanded reporting capabilities early in 2015, adding the ability to call in roadway lighting or traffic signal outages and potholes.
