WINDSOR, ONT. -- The City of Windsor is teaming up with Ford Smart Mobility Canada to access the automaker’s Safety Insights platform in an effort to create safer roads through data-driven insights and decisions.

The pilot project, unveiled Thursday morning, will allow Ford Mobility to track selective data from connected Ford vehicles, with the car owners’ permission.

According to company representatives, the program “leverages crash data and connected vehicle data around near misses to identify safety hotspots and also helps simulate the estimated impact of potential mitigations.”

Data obtained from connected Ford vehicles, such as driver assist data related to forward collision warnings, harsh braking events, and more, will help provide a better understanding of where safety concerns are emerging “before they become collision spots,” notes a city release.

City of Windsor officials hope by adopting this technology, it will spend fewer resources on crunching its own reactive data by gaining some proactive insights from Ford. It’s also being heralded as a way to help drive future decision-making on city infrastructure projects and road safety improvements.

“Our collaborations will bring about safer roads and more efficient traffic planning for the City,” says Windsor Mayor, Drew Dilkens. “Testing these new technologies in a real-world environment will allow Ford to fully understand the reach and applicability of these new data tools.”

According to Ford officials, the city has tens of thousands of connected Ford vehicles on our roadways that could partake in the project, providing a good snapshot into emerging areas of concern around the city.

“At Ford, our commitment to safety extends beyond enhancing vehicle safety—we are just as committed to working with cities to help make our streets safer,” says Bill Frykman, Director, City Solutions, Ford Motor Company. “With a platform like Safety Insights, our goal is to give cities like Windsor the tools and information they need to empower their decision-making abilities and improve the day-to-day lives of their residents.”

Other cities also on board with the pilot are Detroit and Ann Arbor, MI, and Austin, TX.

The one-year pilot program will be funded through WindsorEssex Economic Development’s FedDev grant for Automobility Ecosystem building, at a cost of $30,000.