More safety for cell phone-using pedestrians

German transportation provider Stadtwerke Augsburg is experimenting with warning lights at two pedestrian crossings in the city in an effort to alert oblivious phone-using pedestrians to approaching trams. Rows of flashing LED lights installed into the kerb are intended to act as an alternative to conventional warning signs; when a tram approaches, they flash red to warn pedestrians that the traffic signal is red and green when it is safe to cross.
April 26, 2016 Read time: 1 min

German transportation provider Stadtwerke Augsburg is experimenting with warning lights at two pedestrian crossings in the city in an effort to alert oblivious phone-using pedestrians to approaching trams.

Rows of flashing LED lights installed into the kerb are intended to act as an alternative to conventional warning signs; when a tram approaches, they flash red to warn pedestrians that the traffic signal is red and green when it is safe to cross.

According to the Germany-based transportation research firm 7114 Dekra, an estimated 17 per cent of pedestrians engage with their smartphones in some way while walking. The prevalence of this habit is correlated with a rise in pedestrian accidents.

UTC

Related Content

  • May 8, 2015
    Low-costs solutions to improve pedestrian safety
    David Crawford welcomes low-cost safety initiatives for pedestrians in America. Some 10 people die each week in accidents on crosswalks in the US, that’s more than 10% of all pedestrian fatalities in road traffic incidents - the number of which is running at a five-year high. Ensuring crosswalks are safe is key in supporting the growing enthusiasm for walking as a travel mode. In the last decade of the 20th century, numbers walking to work in the US fell by 26%; while, as recently as 2012, Americans were e
    Read More
  • September 18, 2017
    Smart zebra crossing used to promote road safety in eastern China
    In an effort to improve road safety at night, the town of Suqian in Jiangsu Province, China has installed a smart zebra crossing, which has LED lights embedded in the road alongside it, reports GB Times. The lights begin to flash when pedestrians step on to the crossing, while a traffic sign with the words ‘Yield to pedestrians’ lights up. A warning notice autonomously warns drivers that they are approaching the crossing.
    Read More
  • November 21, 2012
    Poland installs intelligent pedestrian crossings
    In an effort to reduce pedestrian accidents in the city, the Board of Road and Greenery of Gdansk in northern Poland has installed number of intelligent pedestrian crossings in the Zaspa and Przymorze districts. Talking devices have been installed at tram crossings and use induction loops installed in the tracks to detect trams and warn pedestrians, via a voice message, of their approach.
    Read More
  • July 24, 2012
    Driving forward cooperative intersection safety applications
    Gregory Davis, FHWA, John Harding, NHTSA, and Mike Schagrin, ITS Joint Program Office (RITA) chart the course for cooperative intersection safety applications being pursued as part of the IntelliDrive programme. Crashes at intersections accounted for 8,703 highway fatalities in the US in 2008. Research and development is moving forward on IntelliDriveSM safety applications designed to help drivers avoid intersection accidents. These new safety systems could substantially drive down the highway death and inj
    Read More

Highlighted Content