A unique project from the Swedish Transport Administration will improve slip control – by collecting data from millions of vehicles.
By purchasing data from vehicles out in traffic, the authority finds out how cars are slowed down or cables on the roads. The condition is then analyzed to be able to predict where the roads are like the halast and when slip control is to be inserted.
Professional driver Jesper Nordenskiöld usually drives upwards of 20 miles per work session in Norrbotten, and icy roadways are something he often encounters.
– You always want the roads to be as clean from ice and slipping as possible, says Jesper Nordenskiöld, explaining that icy roadways that are hidden by snow are risky.
Vehicle data shows where it’s slippery
In a new project to quickly get information about Halka, the Swedish Transport Administration buys data from vehicles out in traffic. How it is slowed down or closed on the roads is analyzed in order to predict where the roads are like the halast.
The researchers at Luleå University of Technology, which leads the project, receive 45 million measurements from vehicles per month. These are analyzed together with rainfall and temperature to anticipate slipping. The goal is for slip control to be inserted faster than today.
Analyzes are already used next winter
From the autumn of 2025, the Swedish Transport Administration is expected to use measurement data from collected vehicles in its contracts. According to Johan Casselgren, the goal is to get better slip control on the state road networks next winter.
“The measurements with the vehicle fleet will be included in the Swedish Transport Administration’s contract for monitoring the winter road maintenance,” says Johan Casselgren, assistant professor of experimental mechanics at Luleå University of Technology.
Professional driver Jesper Nordenskiöld looks forward to better winter road maintenance, not only for his own part but for everyone who drives along the roads.
– The need is great to reduce the number of traffic damage, he says.