In this study, we propose a method for detecting traffic incidents by leveraging tensor decomposition in conjunction with spatial-temporal constraints. The method comprises three main stages. Firstly, we develop an initialization and noise reduction procedure for the traffic data pre-processing model, which includes Tucker decomposition and truncating higher-order Singular Value Decomposition (SVD). Subsequently, we construct spatial and temporal coefficient matrices based on the Pearson test and introduce a Laplace penalty term to quantify the disparity between predicted and actual data. Next, we validate the method using traffic loop detector data and incident records from I90 in Seattle, USA, in 2015, comparing its performance with seven other traffic prediction methods. The results demonstrate the superior prediction accuracy, correct detection rate, and low false alarm rate of our traffic incident detection method. Specifically, the mean square error of speed prediction is 5.22 km / h , the average relative error is 6.88 % , and the detection rate reaches 98.92 % . Our method effectively evaluates the spatial-temporal characteristics of traffic data, enabling accurate prediction and detection of traffic incidents. Its technical applicability holds promise for enhancing the capacity and efficiency of future traffic control systems.