The number of people using cellular phones increases daily. Industry analysts predict over 100 million users by the end of the year 2000, more than 36 percent of the population. Cellular phones allow individual motorists to detect freeway incidents. However, TxDOT personnel need more information about the reliability, cost and effectiveness of cellular phones. Some survey responses indicate that cellular reports usually come in before loop systems can generate an alarm.
Callers can provide information about the severity of each incident.
All these aspects show the effectiveness of motorists' phone reports over more passive detection systems. This plan specifies continuing the use of cellular phone reports as the main method of detecting incidents. Researchers have compared this system with traditional surveillance methods. Either type of detection system must rely heavily on CCTV cameras for verification of incidents. According to TTI research, other areas in the U.S. use cellular phones as one of two main methods of freeway incident reporting.