MARS and Congressional AI Caucus Briefing: AI for Smarter, Safer Roads

MARS and Congressional AI Caucus Briefing: AI for Smarter, Safer Roads

On December 2, 2025, the Modern Analytics for Roadway Safety (MARS) Coalition partnered with the Congressional AI Caucus to host a bipartisan Hill briefing that showcased how AI, predictive analytics, and telematics can help modernize transportation planning – and why federal policy must make these tools accessible to every state and community.

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AI Caucus Co-Chairs Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) and Donald Beyer (D-Va.) opened the discussion by highlighting the enormous promise of AI and analytics in preventing crashes – and the urgency of updating federal policy so that transportation agencies can access these capabilities. Rep. Tracey Mann (R-Kan.) previewed forthcoming legislation that will help close this gap and support wider deployment of proven safety technologies across the country.

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Technology with Real-World Impact

Experts from Cambridge Mobile Telematics, Amazon Web Services, NVIDIA, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, and MITRE showcased how data-driven insights, predictive modeling, and advanced simulation are already improving the way agencies plan, design, and operate our roads:

• Cambridge Mobile Telematics uses real-world driving data to identify risky behaviors and high-risk corridors before crashes happen.
• Amazon Web Services provides secure cloud infrastructure that allows states to deploy statewide predictive analytics quickly and cost-effectively.
• NVIDIA delivers high-performance computing and simulation tools to test roadway and infrastructure designs before they are built.
• Virginia Tech Transportation Institute independently validates which tools and interventions work in practice, ensuring responsible deployment.
• MITRE conducts neutral, public-interest modeling to help governments target limited safety dollars where they will save the most lives.

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Together, these capabilities enable transportation agencies to proactively identify risk, prioritize investments, improve roadway design and emergency response, and stretch every safety dollar further. The technologies needed to prevent crashes already exist – and are being deployed today.

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A Clear Call to Action

The briefing underscored a clear message: the tools to make America’s roads safer are already here, and now is the time for action. By embracing AI, telematics, and predictive analytics, policymakers can transition the federal transportation safety framework from reactive responses to proactive prevention, saving lives and reshaping the future of road and infrastructure planning.

MARS and its partners look forward to working with Congress to ensure these proven technologies are understood, trusted, and accessible nationwide, so that proactive, technology-enabled transportation can be deployed at scale, creating smarter, safer roads for all.