Enforcing Traffic Safety: A Deep Learning Approach for Detecting Motorcyclists’ Helmet Violations Using YOLOv8 and Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Network-Generated Images

Maged Shoman, Tarek Ghoul, Gabriel Lanzaro, Tala Alsharif, Suliman Gargoum, Tarek Sayed

In this study, we introduce an innovative methodology for the detection of helmet usage violations among motorcyclists, integrating the YOLOv8 object detection algorithm with deep convolutional generative adversarial networks (DCGANs). The objective of this research is to enhance the precision of existing helmet violation detection techniques, which are typically reliant on manual inspection and susceptible to inaccuracies. The proposed methodology involves model training on an extensive dataset comprising both authentic and synthetic images, and demonstrates high accuracy in identifying helmet violations, including scenarios with multiple riders. Data augmentation, in conjunction with synthetic images produced by DCGANs, is utilized to expand the training data volume, particularly focusing on imbalanced classes, thereby facilitating superior model generalization to real-world circumstances. The stand-alone YOLOv8 model exhibited an F1 score of 0.91 for all classes at a confidence level of 0.617, whereas the DCGANs + YOLOv8 model demonstrated an F1 score of 0.96 for all classes at a reduced confidence level of 0.334. These findings highlight the potential of DCGANs in enhancing the accuracy of helmet rule violation detection, thus fostering safer motorcycling practices.