Traffic sensors are used for traffic management, automatic incident detection, and data collection. Traffic sensors provide standard data regarding traffic, speed, and area occupancy, which are helpful to avoid congestion in the large metropolitan areas. Moreover, these sensors helps to accurately measure average flow speed, which helps to distinguish different service levels such as dense, congestion, queue, and fluid. Traffic sensors improves the efficiency and capacity of transportation networks.

Inductive-loop detectors, video image processors, magnetometers, laser radar sensors, microwave radar sensors, ultrasonic sensors, passive infrared sensors, and passive acoustic sensors are types of traffic sensors. Application of these sensors includes incident detection, traffic signal control, mainline control, and measurement of vehicle volume.

One of the key factors expected to boost the growth of global traffic sensor market is growing traffic volume. Furthermore lack of effective roadways in urban, intercity, and rural areas is major reason for high volume of traffic on road, especially in emerging economies such as India, China, and Brazil. This demands for traffic sensors to manage road traffic by minimizing congestion. Therefore, traffic sensors can be deployed to ensure optimal utilization of existing roadways. For instance, intelligent transportation systems (ITS) aimed to provide traffic analysis, electronic surveillance along with improved safety, and minimizing pollutant emissions. According to Organization Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles or OICA, around 1.28 billion units of vehicles were in use in 2015 worldwide as compared to 1.23 billion vehicles in 2014. Hence, increasing vehicle parc would lead to proportional increase in road traffic. Traffic sensor is a systematic solution for the prevention of this issues.

However, high cost for implementation is major factor expected to restrain the growth of the global traffic sensor market during the forecast period.

Traffic Sensor Market Taxonomy:

On the basis of sensor type, the global traffic sensor market is segmented into:

Inductive loops

Infrared sensors

Piezoelectric sensors

Magnetic sensors

Image sensors

LiDAR sensors

Thermal sensors

Radar sensors

Acoustic sensors

Bending plates

On the basis of application, the global traffic sensor market is segmented into:

Traffic monitoring

Vehicle measurement and profiling

Weigh in motion

Automated tolling or e-toll

On the basis of regions, the global traffic sensor market is classified into:

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Middle East

Africa

Global Traffic Sensor Market: Regional Insights

The global traffic sensor market has been segmented on the basis of regions into North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, and Africa. North America held the largest share in the global traffic sensor market in 2018. The U.S. is the major growth engine in North America market, owing to increasing initiatives from the U.S. government towards improvement of transportation infrastructure and implementation of intelligent transportation systems (ITS). For instance, in 2015, the America's Surface Transportation Act or "FAST Act" was implemented, to solve road traffic congestion issues, enhance transportation within the country, improve working efficiencies in transportation systems and commercial vehicles, and minimize vehicle emissions. Further, manufacturer are also focusing on new technology to help the vehicles for traffic safety. For Instance, in July 2019, Continental announced a launch of its radar sensor technologies which will be used in the EasyMile’s EZ10 autonomous shuttle and helps to detect the vehicle’s environment within a radius of up to 200 meters.

Global Traffic Sensor Market: Key Market Players

Major players operating in the global traffic sensor market include EFKON AG, Kapsch TrafficCom AG, TransCore, International Road Dynamics, Inc., Kistler Group, Flir Systems, Inc., TE Connectivity Ltd., SWARCO AG, Q-Free ASA, SICK AG, Axis Communications AB, Raytheon Company, and Siemens AG.

Global Traffic Sensor Market: Key Developments