Derq FAQ

Find answers to common questions about Derq’s AI-powered roadway safety technology: including how it works, what it detects, how it protects privacy, and how agencies use it to improve traffic operations and reduce risk.

Members of the press may direct questions to us at media@derq.com.

About Derq

  • Derq is an AI-powered intelligent transportation technology company that helps cities, transportation agencies, and infrastructure partners improve roadway safety and traffic operations. Derq’s platform uses proprietary, patented computer vision and machine learning to analyze roadway traffic, detect safety risks, and provide real-time traffic and safety intelligence for intersections and corridors.

  • Derq helps transportation agencies solve two critical challenges: safety and efficiency. Derq equips agencies with the real-time data and intelligence needed to inform targeted countermeasures and shift to:

    • Proactive safety measures: such as crash prevention, near-miss detection, and VRU protection.

    • Data-driven efficiency: including congestion reduction, signal optimization, and sustainable traffic flow.

  • Derq’s platform transforms video feeds into actionable roadway safety intelligence. Our technology detects and analyzes traffic flow and roadway safety events, including:

    • Crashes and near-miss incidents involving vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists

    • Wrong-way driving behavior

    • Pedestrian and cyclist movement (vulnerable road users)

    • Vehicle counts, speeds, and turning movements

    • Traffic patterns, queues, and congestion hotspots

    • Intersection and corridor safety risks

    This intelligence helps transportation agencies and traffic engineers make informed, data-driven decisions regarding signal timing, intersection design, signage, and traffic operations.

Derq Products and Capabilities

  • Our flagship products, Derq SENSE and Derq INSIGHT, use patented computer vision and machine learning to improve safety and optimize traffic flow for all road users.

  • Derq INSIGHT:

    • Safety and Traffic Insights monitors and analyzes road safety and traffic performance in real time, including crashes, near-miss collisions, violations, traffic counts, and ATSPMs. Derq INSIGHT helps manage traffic, reduce congestion, identify safety hotspots, understand road user behavior, and develop countermeasures to prevent future collisions.

    Derq SENSE:

    • Traffic Detection identifies, tracks, and predicts road user trajectories in real time. It detects multimodal users (vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists) in all weather conditions, including low-light conditions, and at extended ranges. Derq SENSE’s patented computer vision and machine learning ensure industry-leading accuracy to improve traffic control, reduce congestion, and reduce fatalities and injuries.

    • V2X Applications identify, track, and predict road user trajectories to generate standard-compliant V2X messages to help reduce conflicts, prevent crashes, eliminate blind spots, and protect vulnerable road users.

  • Multimodal detection means our AI is trained to identify, track, and classify all distinct types of road users simultaneously—not just cars. Derq believes everyone on the road deserves to be seen.

    Derq’s technology accurately detects and differentiates between two major categories of road users:

    • Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs): Pedestrians, cyclists, mobility aid users (wheelchairs), and personal mobility devices (e-scooters).

    • Vehicles: Standard cars, pickup trucks, buses, motorcycles, minibus vans, single-unit trucks, and large articulated trucks.

    By classifying these users individually, Derq provides traffic engineers with the precise data needed to protect vulnerable commuters and optimize traffic flow for all modes of transportation.

Privacy and Security

  • No. Derq does not use facial recognition or license-plate recognition, and it is not designed to identify individual drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, or vehicles by name, face, license plate, or personal identity. Derq’s technology analyzes roadway movement and safety events, not personally identifiable information.

  • No. Derq is built for roadway safety intelligence, not personal surveillance or enforcement. The technology helps traffic engineers understand what is happening at intersections by detecting roadway activity, including vehicle movement, pedestrian crossings, near-miss events, and other safety-related patterns. That information can be used to improve signal timing, reduce congestion, identify safety risks, and better protect drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. Derq’s purpose is to support traffic operations and roadway safety — not to issue violations or identify individual people.

  • Public trust is paramount when deploying AI-enabled smart city technology. Derq is SOC 2 Type II compliant, reflecting independently audited controls around the security, availability, and confidentiality of the systems and data it manages. Where applicable, Derq’s technology can support edge processing, enabling local data processing with minimal transmission. This can reduce unnecessary data movement and bandwidth costs, and support a more secure architecture.

Deployment and Funding

  • Yes, Derq is hardware-agnostic. Derq integrates with cities’ existing infrastructure, from video sensors to traffic signals. Agencies can choose to leverage their current camera network or deploy new sensors depending on their project goals.

  • Yes. Derq has supported numerous agencies with federally funded projects, including SS4A and SMART grants. Federal grants place a strong emphasis on the Safe System Approach and data-driven decision making, the same foundation behind Derq INSIGHT, our AI-powered safety analytics platform. Including Derq in your proposals bolsters technical merit and strengthens the competitiveness of your applications.

    Additionally, Derq was the only private-sector Tier 1 winner of the 2025 USDOT Intersection Safety Challenge, validating Derq’s alignment with federal priorities and its approach.

Technology and IP

  • Yes. Derq products are protected by proprietary and patented computer vision, machine learning, and system design techniques, outperforming traditional industry techniques and enabling more accurate road user detection, classification, and multi-sensor tracking with cutting-edge predictive capabilities. Visit our patents page for more information on our 20+ patents.