Patent Awarded to Nestor for CrossingGuard Intersection Safety Features

    PROVIDENCE, R.I.--Sept. 10, 2001--Nestor Traffic Systems, Inc. (NTS) today announced that the US Patent Office has granted a patent to the Company for its video-based violation detection and intersection safety features. The patent relates to CrossingGuard(R)'s ability to identify and verify a red light violation and trigger an emergency request to the traffic controller to extend the red light for cross traffic - in an attempt to prevent a potentially deadly, broadside collision. NTS' CrossingGuard is the industry's first video-based automated red light enforcement solution with a built-in collision avoidance safety feature.
    CrossingGuard uses advanced video-processing technology and video cameras to detect and track vehicles as they approach an intersection. When a violation is predicted, CrossingGuard not only records a full video sequence of the violation, but it also sends an emergency request to the traffic controller to extend the all-red phase for cross traffic so that an innocent driver does not enter the intersection when a red light violation is imminent. This brief extension is defined by the city's traffic engineering experts during system installation. There is no signal change for the violator; the full context violation video sequence is recorded, and a collision may have been averted.
    Violation videos are transmitted securely, in real-time, from the intersection to the police department or designated processing facility. Through NTS' patented system, law enforcement is able to view the violation video and make the violation/no violation decision based on the instant replay video evidence. With approval from law enforcement, a citation is developed and issued to the violator. CrossingGuard's comprehensive and objective evidence adds a level of fairness that law enforcement, courts, and even violators, can support.
    "Red light running remains a devastating, nationwide safety hazard. Better enforcement through the use of technology has proven to help reduce the frequency of violations," said David Fox, Nestor's president and CEO. "CrossingGuard's video technology delivers exceptional intersection safety benefits to an automated red light enforcement program. Not only does it assist law enforcement in addressing the problem, but its unique collision avoidance feature can help to safeguard innocent drivers. Receiving patent protection further validates the significance of this technology."