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WHICH SPEED SIGNS ARE BEST FOR AREAS WHERE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE UNPREDICTABLE?
Digital speed signs have
been used now for over a decade to enhance road safety as per the prevailing
road circumstances globally. Most countries and states that suffer from extreme
weather conditions have used them at one point to manage traffic. Such areas
that have used speed signs
have also witnessed the effectiveness of these devices to control traffic.
While a large part of their effectiveness is also dependent upon driver
compliance. Many countries like India thus are forced to use these digital
signs along with traffic personnel to ensure proper implementation of rules and
safety for all using the roads.
The use of digital signs
The purpose of
installing any kind of speed sign including digital
speed signs is to inform the driver and
pedestrians alike of the safe and normal travel conditions for a particular
road. For instance, a roadway may have an ideal speed on a normal day as 60
kmph but this will change if it is raining or is foggy. The conventional signs
cannot display the proper and reasonable speed limit for such changed weather
conditions but variable signs can easily handle it. This reduces risks and
improves the safety of all road users under all sorts of weather and traffic
conditions.
The biggest
contributor to any road accident is speed. Even if one is following the limit
as described at a normal speed sign,
it might be too much as per the present conditions of the road. The biggest
concern of traffic professionals is the lack of driver’s knowledge of the
current safe speeds which can be corrected by the use of digital speed signs.
A simple 10 kmph reduction of speed can be the difference between a life saved
and a reduction of the impact of an accident. These signs can help motorists avoid
road hazards, congestions, and adjust their speed as per the road conditions to
stay safe.
New
technologies
Digital speed signs are
also evolving over the years and are now enabled with intelligent technologies
that can help build a smart city. They nowadays can be integrated with loop
detectors, mounted cameras, face recognition, speed recorders, lasers, and a
lot more. These speed signs
have gained the increasing attention of various academic and government
institutions involved in the area of traffic management and control. Their
utilization into the mainstream to control and manage traffic offers an
enhanced capability to increase efficiency, road safety, and services. But
these systems need to be installed at intelligent locations that provide the
maximum benefits to motorists and other road users.
Where
and when to consider these speed limits?
Crash rates are
usually higher in areas that suffer more wet weather like some of the western
and north-eastern states in India. Installation of digital
speed signs in such areas provides the best results to
help drivers reduce their speeds to a safer limit and increase their stopping
distances. Other places where such variable speed
signs can help are work zones, areas that face daily
congestions, hospital and school zones, and more. They may also be used in
areas where the pavement surface does not typically allow one to determine the
driving and braking distance due to poor road conditions like sudden and hidden
curves in the road.
Factors
that affect stopping distance
Every road has a
predetermined safe speed limit which is usually prominently displayed through a
conventional speed sign that
stands on a pole at the side of the road. Most motorists who follow this safe
speed limit under optimal conditions have a good sight distance and enough
stopping distance to avoid accidents. The digital
speed signs make calculations as per the prevailing road
conditions to present a new safe speed limit. They take into account the sight
distance and stopping power of a vehicle as per their size under foggy, snowy,
rainy, or other hazardous road conditions.
This helps all
drivers stay safe easily.
The
driving task
Any driver knows
that the act of driving involves a perfect balance between three main tasks namely,
navigation, control, and guidance. Navigation is simply how the driver is going
to get from point A to B. Control is the interaction of the driver with their
vehicle through its various displays to maintain a safe distance. While the
guidance is how the driver interacts with the road the environment and adjusts
as per the information presented through different speed
signs. Digital speed
signs are immensely useful to guide the driver
through in-trip navigation and real-time navigation inputs.
The
driver
There have been
many studies that involve the parameters of the driver, their mental health,
use of intoxicants, age, sex, and a lot more. Most research shows that more
experienced drivers are more tolerant and are involved in fewer crash cases than
younger drivers. Digital speed signs can
help control and inform such drivers to pay more attention to the control of
the vehicle. Thus these speed signs
can alert all drivers of hazards and road conditions ahead and improve their
reaction times by a factor of 1000% that can save many lives and limbs and
improve the economy as well.
Construction
of traffic signs
Most roads that
implement digital speed signs and
other traffic control devices including conventional speed
signs choose a construction material depending on a
variety of factors. They take into account the visibility in an area and the
non-reflective nature of the object especially under a vehicle’s headlights,
the driver expectations, and the driver’s visual capability. Weather corrodes all
of these signs over time and their ability to perform decreases over time.
Variable signs under adverse road conditions have a better chance of being
noticed by the driver and be suitably informed.
Conclusion
A variety of digital
speed signs are currently being used across the globe to
tackle a host of weather conditions. These speed
signs are helping save driver and pedestrian lives
under all kinds of weather by helping drivers slow down and be better aware of
their environment and in better control of their vehicle. Various algorithms
are used to determine the speed of an oncoming vehicle including its size,
speed, road condition, and more. Drivers on their part also need to realize
that they need to follow these speed recommendations to stay safe through
proper education and legislation.
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