Revolutionizing Traffic Sign Recognition with YOLOv9 and CNNs

Traffic sign recognition is an essential feature of intelligent transportation systems and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), which are necessary for improving road safety and advancing the development of autonomous cars. This research investigates the incorporation of the YOLOv9 model into traffic sign recognition systems, utilizing its sophisticated functionalities such as Programmable Gradient Information (PGI) and Generalized Efficient Layer Aggregation Network (GELAN) to tackle enduring difficulties in object detection. We employed a publically accessible dataset obtained from Roboflow, which consisted of 3130 images classified into five distinct categories: speed_40, speed_60, stop, green, and red. The dataset was separated into training (68%), validation (21%), and testing (12%) subsets in a methodical manner to ensure a thorough examination. Our comprehensive trials have shown that YOLOv9 obtains a mean Average Precision (mAP@0.5) of 0.959, suggesting exceptional precision and recall for the majority of traffic sign classes. However, there is still potential for improvement specifically in the red traffic sign class. An analysis was conducted on the distribution of instances among different traffic sign categories and the differences in size within the dataset. This analysis aimed to guarantee that the model would perform well in real-world circumstances. The findings validate that YOLOv9 substantially improves the precision and dependability of traffic sign identification, establishing it as a dependable option for implementation in intelligent transportation systems and ADAS. The incorporation of YOLOv9 in real-world traffic sign recognition and classification tasks demonstrates its promise in making roadways safer and more efficient.