The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is leading the way in making travel safer, smarter, and more efficient through technology. With its Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) and Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) programs, FDOT is transforming the transportation journey around the state.
Florida's Future of Mobility
Both programs use smart tools like real-time traffic data, advanced sensors, and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication to reduce crashes and ease congestion.
While CAV and ITS are closely related and often overlap, they focus on different aspects of transportation technology. The CAV program focuses primarily on vehicles that can “talk” to each other and with the infrastructure (like traffic lights). The ITS program focuses on the transportation systems and infrastructure that use technology to improve traffic management and mobility.
As Florida’s population continues to grow, CAV and ITS innovations support safer travel, foster a reliable supply chain, bolster economic growth, and encourage a more secure future for all Floridians.
FDOT is shaping a future-ready transportation network that is smart, resilient, and safe for all.
Connected and Automated Vehicle Technology (CAV)
Florida Leads the Way with FDOT’s CAV Program
FDOT’s CAV program is a forward-looking initiative aimed at enhancing transportation safety, mobility, and economic development across Florida. By integrating cutting-edge technologies, the program supports a safer and more efficient roadway network. The CAV program helps vehicles, traffic signals, and road systems talk to each other in real time, using the information from vehicles to make travel safer and more efficient.
FDOT’s CAV program supports the state’s broader transportation vision of achieving Target Zero, an initiative aimed at reducing transportation-related fatalities and serious injuries to zero, while also improving traffic flow and supporting economic development.
FDOT collaborates with public agencies, private industry, and academic institutions to plan, test, and deploy CAV technologies through statewide pilot projects and infrastructure upgrades.
By enhancing physical systems – like roads, bridges, traffic signals, and utilities – with technology that helps to improve the safety and efficiency of those systems, FDOT’s CAV program improves roadway safety and traffic flow, directly benefiting the state’s citizens and visitors, and supports statewide economic development.
With more than 30 active pilot projects, FDOT is building a future-ready transportation network. These initiatives are designed to reduce congestion, improve freight movement, and deliver more reliable travel times. Explore these pilot projects:
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)
Smarter Roads and Safer Travel: Using ITS to Improve Traffic Flow and Accident Response Time
FDOT is using ITS technology to make roads safer, reduce traffic congestion, and keep drivers better informed. By connecting traffic signals, sensors, and data systems, FDOT can monitor road conditions in real time. That means quicker responses to accidents, smoother traffic flow, and better use of our transportation infrastructure, including highways and roads, rail systems, public transit, bridges and tunnels, and more.
For example, FDOT’s Florida 511 Advanced Traveler Information System (FL511) has seen significant impact: a 2014 study found that 70% of users changed their route, 22% adjusted their departure time, and 14% changed their mode of travel based on 511 data. Nearly 25% of users reported reduced stress levels thanks to the system’s real-time updates.
At the core of this effort is the ITS Facility Management (ITSFM) system, which ensures seamless coordination between FDOT districts, tolling authorities, and other local agencies. Together, these technologies are building a data-driven, future-ready transportation network that’s safer, more connected, and more responsive than ever.
Whether it’s adjusting traffic lights to ease congestion or alerting drivers to hazards ahead, FDOT’s ITS program is helping Florida move forward faster, safer, and smarter.
Traffic Incident Management (TIM)
Together for Safer Roads: Florida’s TIM Network
FDOT’s statewide Traffic Incident Management (TIM) program enhances roadway safety, reduces traffic congestion, and improves emergency response times. The TIM program is a collaborative initiative that brings together a wide network of partners including law enforcement, fire rescue, emergency medical services, towing and recovery professionals, and transportation agencies to ensure a unified and efficient response to roadway incidents.
Key components of the TIM program include the Road Ranger Service Patrol, which provides free roadside assistance and incident support, and the Rapid Incident Scene Clearance (RISC) program, which incentivizes the quick removal of major crash debris. These services are essential to the program’s success and are supported by FDOT and its private-sector partners.
The TIM program aligns with FDOT’s broader mission to create a safe, efficient, and connected transportation system. It complements other innovative efforts such as the CAV and ITS programs, all working together to shape a smarter, safer future for Florida’s roadways.