The use of technology to improve road safety has been repeatedly stated by the Minister of Road Transport and Highways. With India’s ever-increasing levels of motorisation and an already overburdened enforcement force, making use of technology to create systems to regulate traffic, catch offenders, and ensure road safety is critical. The government’s plan to implement the Integrated Traffic Management System including digital road sign boards is a big step in the right direction. Here are five technological solutions that could help India’s roads become safer.
Speed indicator displays
Speed Indication Displays are digital speed or road sign boards that are installed on roads to indicate whether or not vehicles are exceeding the speed limit. They are based on the idea that non-confrontational warnings can be just as effective as confrontational warnings in deterring people from breaking traffic laws. The majority of these devices have a radar sensor that can estimate vehicle speeds and display them on the vehicle’s LED display. While some of these simply notify drivers when they are approaching or exceeding the speed limit, others show real-time vehicle speeds. Some of them can also photograph and store speeding cars.
Speed Governors
Speed governors are essential devices that place a limit on the maximum speed that a vehicle can reach that is less than its natural maximum speed. The device has a series of sensors that can detect how fast a vehicle is going and restricts the flow of air and fuel to the engine if the speed exceeds the limit set by it. This automatically slows the vehicle down and prevents it from exceeding the set speed. One of the most effective ways to ensure that vehicles stay within the speed limit is to use speed governors.
LIDAR guns
The LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) gun is a lightweight and simple-to-use tool that aids law enforcement in catching and ticketing vehicles that exceed the speed limit. The gun fires an infrared beam that can be used to target a specific vehicle and determine whether or not it is exceeding the speed limit based on light variations. The device estimates a vehicle’s speed in less than a second and is quite accurate.
LIDAR guns can also measure the distance between two vehicles, which can aid in the detection of tailgating (when two vehicles are too close together), as well as record and store licence plate images.
Indicative loops
Induction loops, which are embedded in the road’s surface, can assist in traffic control by detecting when vehicles are waiting at a junction and sending this information to traffic signals, which can then change based on the on-ground situation. Electromagnetic fields are used in these loops, and their frequency changes when a vehicle enters the area. This information is then relayed through the use of connected cables.
It can also use these frequency changes to figure out what kind of vehicle is parked.
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