Top 3 Technologies That Can Prevent Pedestrian Deaths In Intersections
The number of pedestrian deaths has been on the increase each passing year. The majority of these accidents happen in intersections. As a parent, you cannot help but worry about your safety and the safety of those you love.
On the other hand, drivers do not know what to do because such accidents can happen even to the most careful driver. Following necessary road safety regulations like slowing down when approaching an intersection is also not enough.
The good news is that the government is turning to technology to come up with lasting solutions. Technology will help pedestrians and drivers to keep safe, especially in intersections.
Here are the top 3 technologies that can prevent pedestrian deaths in intersections that will help you.
Smart Signs
It cannot be denied that traffics cones and barricades play a vital role in road safety. Pedestrians and drivers would be at risk of fatal accidents if not for traffic barricades and signs. Technology can improve barricades and signs more, especially when placed on intersections and above the roadway.
The good thing with smart signs is that they will be useful regardless of the road’s condition. These signs will start to flash when they detect something, waring the motorists and drivers immediately.
Smart signs will also be useful for rural roads. Compared to urban road intersections, rural road intersections are more dangerous. This explains the reason why more than two-thirds of highway fatalities happen on these roads.
Placing high-tech flash signs on the entry of rural road intersections will help reduce pedestrian deaths. Drivers can easily see these signs and reduce speed when approaching rural intersections.
Adaptive signs can also be used to reduce inefficiencies in intersections and to address traffic demands. These signs provide crucial data that can be used to ensure that metros are also efficient in reducing pedestrian deaths in intersections. These types of signs are connected to the streetlights to improve efficiency.
They stay green longer when there is massive traffic build-up and shorter when there is less traffic. Moreover, they combine with various nearby intersections during peak hours to reduce traffic. The cycle continues even when there are fewer cars on the road.
In-Vehicle Warnings
One major cause of pedestrian deaths in intersections is disrupted drivers. Drivers who fall asleep or lose their concentration when approaching an intersection have taken several lives. That is why engineers are looking for ways to keep drivers alert while on the road.
Several experiments involving audio warning, bells, and vibrating of the driver’s seat will catch a distracted driver’s attention. These sounds will also wake a sleeping driver. Apart from sound warnings and vibrations, engineers are also looking at the warning signs’ pulse rate to come up with a suitable place for all drivers.
Through the Department of Transport, the government is also analyzing data to understand how drivers interact with traffic, use warning systems, and drive their vehicles. This data will provide a clear insight into how best to spot unusual behavior on the roads. The government aims to create a database that will reduce accidents that are caused by negligence.
Automatic Emergency Braking
Accidents happen too fast, especially on intersections. Therefore, car manufacturers have come up with this new feature that allows drivers to use the car’s maximum braking capacity to avoid an imminent crash.
The good thing is that the automatic braking system can break on its own if it does not respond during a critical situation. Automatic emergency braking is available in three categories.
The low-speed system is designed to prevent minor injuries like whiplash by detecting other cars in front of you as you drive on city streets, while the higher speed systems can detect a car that is 200 meters away if you are speeding.
Automatic emergency braking also has a system that can reduce the number of pedestrian deaths in intersections. The pedestrian system allows drivers to avoid collisions by picking up pedestrian movements according to the car’s direction.
Combining this system with a back camera can prove efficient because drivers can see their surroundings when backing up. Some systems will also beep if the car gets closer to an object.
