Firm Joins School Transportation Professionals and Law Enforcement to Launch AI Driver Safety Tool As Students Return to School
ALBANY, N.Y., Sept. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- As students across New York return to classrooms and school buses comeback to the morning and afternoon commutes, the Harding Mazzotti law firm, joined by school transportation professionals and law enforcement, unveiled Hardi, a first-of-its-kind, free AI virtual assistant designed to make our roads safer by helping drivers identify New York's most dangerous intersections.
Known for its commitment to local communities, the firm created the AI tool as a public service to uncover underlying accident patterns and empower drivers with searchable safety data to better inform them of the potential safety risks while driving.
"As the school year begins, we are urging drivers to be a smarti, check Hardi," said Paul Harding, Managing Partner of Harding Mazzotti. "Every student deserves a safe trip to school. By harnessing the power of AI to spotlight high-risk intersections, we're giving drivers the insights they need to help make New York roads safer."
Harding Mazzotti believes they are the first law firm in the nation to utilize AI and public accident information to develop an online virtual assistant like Hardi.
Based on 390,334 police-reported crashes filed with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles in 2023, Harding Mazzotti performed an analysis and developed a report which found that New York roads produce a crash every 82 seconds, resulting in more than 123,000 injuries and over 1,100 deaths in a single year.
"Each school day, our members transport more than 2.3 million school children on nearly 50,000 buses, and the single biggest danger they encounter is motorists failing to stop for flashing red lights," said David Christopher, Executive Director of NYAPT. "By highlighting crash hot spots, these tools turn abstract safety reminders into immediate, actionable awareness. NYAPT truly appreciates Harding Mazzotti's innovative approach and steadfast commitment to safer roads as we work toward a shared mission of bringing every student home safely."
"The Hardi AI tool is an absolute game changer," said Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple. "By providing free, accessible data on where and when crash risks are highest, Harding Mazzotti is giving parents, bus drivers, and law enforcement the resource we need to make our roads safer as buses return this week."
Harding Mazzotti is turning years of legal experience into actionable road safety. By pairing client insights with public crash data, the firm developed Hardi—an AI-driven tool built to expose high-risk intersection trends in hopes of helping protect drivers and pedestrians.
While New York City accounted for the highest concentration of danger, with the 10 most dangerous intersections in the state, Harding Mazzotti's analysis extended well beyond the metropolitan area, producing dedicated regional studies for Albany/Capital Region, Binghamton, Buffalo, Elmira, Plattsburgh, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, and Watertown. These regional breakdowns serve as the informational backbone of Hardi - empowering drivers, parents, pedestrians, school officials, and community leaders to analyze local data and address the specific intersections in their community that carry the greatest risk.
In Albany, six of the fifteen most dangerous intersections identified sit along a single corridor, Central Avenue, with Central Avenue and the Route 5 On-Ramp servicing I-87 in Colonie topping the region's list.
Similar concentrations emerged in Buffalo along Humboldt Parkway, in Rochester at Driving Park Avenue and Lake Avenue, and in Syracuse at Carrier Circle - corridors that thousands of students travel through on buses, on foot, and behind the wheel every school day.
The underlying data powering Hardi reveals a crisis that is far more predictable, and preventable, than most drivers realize. Nearly 75% of crashes occurred on dry pavement, in clear weather, and during daylight, undercutting the assumption that winter weather is the state's primary road hazard - and underscoring that the clear September and October mornings when children are waiting at bus stops are not inherently safe.
October and November, not January or February, were the two deadliest months for crashes statewide. The leading contributing factors were overwhelmingly behavioral: tailgating, failure to yield, and driver inattention alone accounted for nearly 99,000 crashes, or roughly one in four incidents across New York.
Harding Mazzotti and NYAPT encourage every motorist to be extra cautious around school buses and take four steps as the school year begins:
- Stop for school buses with flashing red lights -- whether it is on a two-lane road or a divided highway.
- Slow down in school zones and near bus stops -- where children may step into the roadway without warning.
- Put the phone down -- driver inattention is among the leading contributing factors in New York crashes.
- Be a Smarti, Check Hardi -- see which intersections along your commute or route carry the highest crash history.
About Harding Mazzotti Law Firm Harding Mazzotti, LLP is a legal practice serving clients in New York, Vermont, and Massachusetts with a strong focus on personal injury, negligence, and wrongful death cases. The firm is committed to providing compassionate and experienced legal counsel while advocating for the rights of injured individuals and their families. Learn more at 1800law1010.com
About the New York Association for Pupil Transportation: The New York Association for Pupil Transportation (NYAPT) is a statewide organization dedicated to supporting, developing, and representing school transportation professionals responsible for the safe and efficient transport of more than 2.3 million students across New York State. Learn more at nyapt.org.
Media Contact
Michael Bucci, Harding Mazzotti, LLP, 1 (518) 423-9215, [email protected], www.1800law1010.com
SOURCE Harding Mazzotti, LLP
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