An Ireland-based data infrastructure technology company that provides a roadway embedded safety platform for drivers and autonomous vehicles has entered the North American market with a Colorado-based U.S. business unit.
Vectigo, a division of Dublin-based Vectigo Group Limited, is working with RoadSafe Traffic Systems, a provider of traffic control, pavement marking and roadway safety services, to install what the company officially calls “PODs.” These pods are individual capsule-shaped hardware units that are installed flush with the road surface between every other stripe on the road to detect dangerous conditions as they form, light the lane ahead and deliver real-time data so drivers, emergency responders and freight operators can avoid hazards.
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"This platform is designed to reduce crashes and save lives for everyday drivers first," said Vectigo Group Limited Executive Chairman Brendan Lundy. "Every winter, Colorado drivers face black ice they cannot see, wrong-way drivers they cannot anticipate and closures they cannot avoid.
“Vectigo detects those dangers in the lane and gets that information to the drivers, first responders and truckers who need it in time to change course. The same data gives autonomous vehicles the redundancy they need to operate safely,” he added. “Colorado is where we will prove it and the model for roads across the U.S. and the world."
According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, 701 people were killed on Colorado roads in 2025, up from 689 in 2024. Traffic deaths also rose 21% in Denver, as reported by local news station Denver7.
Vectigo said its technology has been shown to reduce accidents by 70% and injury-causing accidents by 50% for human-driven vehicles.
The inner workings
The in-road communication network leverages solar-powered pods that house multiple IoT sensors that continuously read conditions directly from the road surface. These are the conditions it detects:
• Snow and black ice: in-lane surface-temperature sensing identifies black ice and freezing conditions before they are visible and tracks snow-covered lanes, so drivers are warned, road crews can target treatment, and traffic can avoid the most dangerous stretches.
• Wrong-way drivers: the platform detects a wrong-way vehicle as it enters the lane and alerts law enforcement, responders and oncoming traffic within seconds.
• Closures and crashes: stoppages, crashes, closures, flooding and rockfalls are reported as they happen so traffic can be routed around them.
The platform works with every vehicle — no special equipment, app or new car required — through lane lighting, dynamic signage, navigation and 511 integrations.
With built-in dynamic illumination capabilities, the grid-independent pods outline affected lanes in snow, rain and darkness when those conditions are sensed. The platform is sensor-agnostic, so each installation can be configured for local hazards and inform drivers in real time at the edge.
The platform also sends that information to its centralized data integration hub, where agencies can download and share it with emergency responders, other public agencies and autonomous vehicle operators. This informs emergency response teams as to which lanes are open and passable so they can choose the fastest safe route to the scene of an accident and the hospital. It also mitigates downtime and risk for carriers by enabling them to reroute early.
The AV aspect
The Vectigo Platform also offers another layered control for Automated Highway System capabilities. Vectigo said it aims to improve AV safety to accelerate deployment.
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The platform gives autonomous vehicles a source of ground truth data from road surface conditions that AVs cannot directly sense, providing an independent safety layer that backs up their onboard sensors that can be degraded by snow, glare and faded lane markings.
“When onboard perception is uncertain, the road confirms what is there, helping AV fleets make safer decisions and operate in the winter conditions that define Colorado driving,” Vectigo said.
Colorado is one of Vectigo's first priority states in a national rollout that aims to reach every state department of transportation within five years.
