(Yicai Global) April 11 -- The Chinese city of Hangzhou in southeastern Zhejiang province is using artificial intelligence hardware and software to quickly detect traffic accidents along its 124-kilometer-long ring road expressway so as to reduce response times.

The Hangzhou ring road expressway, which was opened in 2003, is one of the busiest ring roads in the country.

A company insider of Supermind Intelligent Technology, the smart system developer that is undertaking the upgrading of the highway, told Yicai Global that some 350,000 vehicles take the route around Hangzhou each day, and 40 percent are heavy trucks, much more than the usual 20 percent to 30 percent on highways. The heavy traffic and the large number of trucks lead to a lot of accidents.

Over 160 remote cameras and more than 60 fixed cameras have been set up along the route. These can identify traffic accidents within two to five minutes and speed up police and rescue teams' response times.

Together with the original video surveillance equipment, the system can now analyze more than 300 videos in real time. The algorithm engine detects more than 700 key events per day, including emergency lane parking and congestion, with an accuracy rate of over 90 percent.

Editors: Shi Yi, Kim Taylor