Innoviz Technologies Ltd (INVZ)

[WeTheMarket]

High-tech effort for safer streets gains city's attention
BY ANNA ALBARYAN WESTWOOD
PUBLISHED 4:10 PM PT JAN. 30, 2023
https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-west/public-safety/2023/01/30/high-tech-effort-for-safer-streets-gains-city-s-attention

LOS ANGELES — An Israeli-based company called Innoviz is gaining attention in Los Angeles for its efforts toward increasing public safety along crosswalks and major intersections.

The company’s high-tech Lidar sensor technology is being tested at the intersection of Charles E. Young Drive and Westwood Plaza, near the UCLA campus.

What You Need To Know
-Traffic fatalities in Los Angeles are on the rise

-In 2022, 309 people died on LA’s roads — a 5% increase compared with 2021

- While motor vehicle fatalities fell 10%, pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities increased 19% and 24%, respectively, according to LAPD data analyzed by Streets Are For Everyone

- Of those killed, 6% were DUI related, 28% were felony hit and runs, 50% were pedestrians and 6% involved a bicycle

The project is in line with a larger initiative across Los Angeles, called Twenty-eight by ‘28, which will aim to complete 28 transportation infrastructure projects before the 2028 Olympic Games. These projects will theoretically make it easier and safer to get around LA using public transportation.

The UCLA campus is also planning to host several Olympic events, which is why Innoviz is aiming to have the technology deployed at intersections around campus before the games begin.

But the company’s broader goal, according to VP of sales Scott Craig, is to “lead the world to safety.”

It’s a mission that resonates with Hawthorne resident Andrea Nah, who recently witnessed a horrific crash in front of her home that claimed the life of 13-year-old Michael Leon.

Michael was crossing El Segundo Boulevard on a Sunday evening with his father and 12-year-old sister, when they were struck by what investigators believe was a speeding and/or distracted driver. Michael was pronounced dead at the scene. His father was taken to a hospital with serious injuries but has since been released, and his sister was not hurt.

Neighbors like Andrea Nah ran out to the scene of the crash to help.

“It takes an instant,” she said. “When you see something so tragic like this, you really realize that life is so precious.”

If the street where 13-year-old Michael Leon was crossing had technology similar to the Lidar sensors that Innoviz is currently testing, the family might have been warned about the incoming driver through a loud, audible tone. It’s improvements to public safety like this that Nah says is needed — to ensure Michael’s death isn’t in vain.

“A young boy was lost... and it wasn’t in vain,” said Nah. “So I hope that change does occur.”