Currently, Rijkswaterstaat employs an algorithm for detecting incidents on a limited number of road sections. This algorithm is based on detecting a sharp reduction in traffic flow downstream incidents. In this project, the current algorithm is compared to alternative algorithms.
Alternative algorithms were e.g. found in North America, where a lot of research has been done on automatic incident detection. Alternative algoritms were also developed as part of the research. Here, the distribution was of traffic over lanes was used as an indicator of traffic state. In case of unexpected changes in this state, the occurrence of incidents may be likely.
The results of this study indicate ways for improvement of current incident detection. This study also indicates that 100% reliability of automatic incident detection is hard to achieve, but that automatic incident detection still offers a useful addition for starting the incident management process.