First product to undergo Technology Partnerships

A Technology Partnerships study has been announced to evaluate the safety benefits of a solar-powered traffic signage system designed to minimise crashes on horizontal curves in the US. Part of the US FHWA Highways for Life initiative, evaluations will test the effectiveness of innovative road infrastructure safety technologies that are fully developed and market ready, but have had little use on US roads. Although horizontal curves make up a small percentage of total road miles, they account for 25 per cen
June 25, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Tapco's sequential dynamic curve warning system will be evaluated for two years in several US states
A Technology Partnerships study has been announced to evaluate the safety benefits of a solar-powered traffic signage system designed to minimise crashes on horizontal curves in the US. Part of the US 831 Federal Highway Administration Highways for Life initiative, evaluations will test the effectiveness of innovative road infrastructure safety technologies that are fully developed and market ready, but have had little use on US roads.

Although horizontal curves make up a small percentage of total road miles, they account for 25 per cent of all highway fatalities with the majority of crashes on curves involving lane departures. US company Traffic and Parking Control Company (989 TAPCO) has developed the sequential dynamic curve warning system which consists of a series of solar-powered, LED-enhanced flashing signs that are installed throughout a curve. Approaching vehicles, sensed by radar or other ITS device, trigger the controller that wirelessly activates the LED signs to flash sequentially through the curve to warn speeding drivers to slow down. The two-year Technology Partnerships field study will evaluate the effectiveness of the system in reducing vehicle speeds and in reducing the frequency and/or the severity of curve-related crashes. Participating State DOTs include Missouri, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin and Colorado.

Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Cost benefit: Wichita eases workzone congestion
    July 8, 2019
    Achieving higher diversion rates has helped one Kansas city to make traffic flow more efficient around workzones. David Crawford examines what’s behind a 10:1 benefit-to-cost ratio in Wichita Around 10% of highway congestion in the US results from delays in workzones, leading to an estimated annual loss of $700 million in fuel costs alone. The lack of accessible real-time traffic information to help motorists minimise their inconvenience – particularly at peak times - is a major contributor. One solut
    Read More
  • Assessing driver behaviour in work zones
    May 31, 2013
    David Crawford looks at moves to increase throughput and safety in work zones.
    Read More
  • Wrong Way Detection System prevents accidents, improves safety
    January 31, 2012
    In 2006, within a span of four months, two incidents of drivers entering the 16km-long Westpark Tollway in Houston, Texas resulted in horrific accidents that caused a number of fatalities. As a result, Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA) began investigating technologies that could help detect vehicles entering the tollway in the wrong direction.
    Read More
  • Rectangular rapid flashing beacon
    September 12, 2012
    The latest technology in crosswalk warning systems, the solar-powered R920 rectangular rapid flashing beacon (RRFB), has been launched by Carmanah Technologies. The pedestrian-actuated system provides a high-intensity rapid flash pattern to alert vehicles approaching a crosswalk that pedestrians are present. The US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has issued an interim approval of the RRFB within the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). “The design and performance of this new product pres
    Read More

Highlighted Content