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Stop Sign Running in School Zones Drops Nearly 70% in 4 months with Obvio’s AI Cameras

via Business Wire

Community-focused approach to automated traffic safety drives rapid behavior change and overwhelming resident support across Prince George's County

Instances of vehicles running through stop signs in school zones have dropped nearly 70% across five Prince George's County communities using Obvio’s AI-powered traffic enforcement cameras, according to new data released today. The program, which combines extensive community education, technology, and automated ticketing for severe violations, has proven to be one of the most effective approaches to quickly altering driver behavior and improving children’s safety in school zones. The program’s success is catalyzing the adoption of this technology across the state and inspiring other states to follow Maryland’s lead and pass legislation to enable a similar approach.

The program emerged after a 2023 tragedy in which two children were struck and killed while walking to Riverdale Park Elementary School, galvanizing a coalition of leaders in Prince George’s County to take action. Police chiefs, municipal officials, and state legislators partnered to pass HB364 and bring the first automated stop sign enforcement program of its kind to Maryland. Working closely with lawmakers, community leaders helped pass enabling legislation within months of the tragedy. These communities worked with Obvio, to build out these programs and install traffic enforcement cameras at vulnerable school zone intersections. Obvio brings a new, holistic solution to traffic safety, giving municipalities and law enforcement the tools needed to change driver behavior and create a new culture of safety on the roadways. Obvio deploys solar-powered AI cameras to 1) detect a wide range of dangerous driving behavior, including speed, red light, crosswalk and other violations; 2) create visibility for community members; and 3) enable law enforcement to automatically send citations to the most egregious violators.

Unlike traditional automated enforcement programs, municipalities took a radically different approach centered on community engagement and education first. Communities mobilized to create a grassroots-driven safety initiative over the course of a few weeks: towns developed "LetsDriveSafer" campaign websites featuring lawn signs distributed to residents, public dashboards showing real-time violation statistics, and even custom-designed camera pole wraps that turned enforcement technology into neighborhood landmarks.

The community-first philosophy extends to how violations are handled. Rather than enabling police departments to issue tickets for every infraction, the program uses solar-powered AI cameras to identify the most dangerous violations while giving residents tools to hold each other accountable through shared data and visible reminders. This approach has created a culture shift where safety becomes a shared neighborhood value rather than just another rule to follow.

The early results have surpassed expectations. In just 4 months, stop sign running near schools dropped by 66.7%, showing a measurable change in driver behavior. At the start of the program, nearly three quarters of vehicles – or 6,000 per day – failed to stop at intersections where the cameras are installed across Berwyn Heights, Morningside, Colmar Manor, Brentwood, and Capitol Heights. With community education, awareness campaigns, and citations issued to the most egregious violations, drivers began adjusting their behavior. Moreover, community response has been overwhelmingly positive: a back-to-school survey in Colmar Manor showed 96% of residents feel safer and 91% want to expand the program.

“Year after year Prince George’s County has grappled with the highest number of traffic deaths in the state,” said District 2 Council Member Wanika Fisher, Esq, who chaired the County’s School Pedestrian Safety Workgroup. “These cutting-edge AI cameras represent a significant leap forward in safety, and we have already seen that they are dramatically reducing dangerous situations. We are confident this technology will continue to shift driver behavior and make our roads safer for all.”

Following the promising results, the program is expanding rapidly: District Heights, Glenarden, and Fairmount Heights have begun deploying cameras, and College Park and Greenbelt have recently approved adoption. Forest Heights and Hyattsville are currently in the approval process. Meanwhile, the technology has spurred new traffic studies across Maryland, revealing just how widespread stop sign running is and helping towns target education and enforcement more effectively. The success is also inspiring a wave of change nationwide. Montgomery County and Baltimore City have passed legislation to enable similar programs, while states like Virginia, New York, and Delaware are also considering adopting the same approach.

“With the first deployments in just 10 school zones, we’ve been thrilled to play a part in keeping children safe,” said Dhruv Maheshwari, Co-founder of Obvio – the traffic safety company that pioneered this technology and worked with Prince George’s County to get the program up and running. “There are more than 200 schools across Prince George’s County alone that could benefit from this program, and we’re excited to see more towns and other parts of the state stepping up.”

For years, Prince Georgians have called out frequent stop sign running in their communities, looking for a change. With police departments stretched thin and a massive crossing guard shortage, violations have been rampant, especially in neighborhoods and school zones. The result has been thousands of near-misses, injuries, and preventable deaths. Maryland as a whole saw 165 pedestrian deaths and over 3,000 pedestrian injuries – 30% of which involved children under the age of 15 in 2024.

Each day in America, more than 100 people die in traffic crashes—far higher than in other developed nations—despite billions spent on traditional safety approaches. The Maryland model shows what’s possible when communities combine education, technology, accountability, and care. These tragedies are preventable with today’s technology; it’s just a matter of adopting it in the right way to have community impact.

About Obvio

Obvio improves traffic safety by providing AI-powered traffic cameras. Obvio is on a mission to prevent traffic deaths while rebuilding public trust and a sense of shared responsibility on the roads. With Obvio, cities have reduced traffic violations by over 70 percent. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, the company is backed by leading investors such as Bain Capital Ventures, Khosla Ventures and Pathlight Ventures. To learn more, visit https://www.obvio.ai.

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