We, humans, love speed. Especially if no one is looking and there are no visible speed breakers around. But this kills more than 1.25 million people every year due to traffic crashes. While such a considerable number should produce a fear of the speed sign on the road, these statistics dull the mind and make the event of a crash seem normal. Thus, it is imperative to use novel technology like radar speed signs to regulate vehicle speed and reduce unexpected injuries and death.
The journey to technology
Speed sign placements over the years have improved in every country. They are now posted at regular intervals and in well-lit areas to ensure drivers control their speed and stay within the legal limits. But drivers in the absence of a human vigil on their speed tend to over-speed as they get familiar with their daily route. The last decade has seen a significant improvement in the human lifestyle with the use of technology. Digital innovations in the traffic space gave rise to radar speed signs. They record the speed of the vehicle and display it with LED lights.
Benefits of the radar sign
Research has shown that radar speed signs capture the driver’s attention much more than the conventional speed sign. They also provide a real-time speed check for the driver to process the information as shown by the LED screen. Changing the speed of a road due to bad weather conditions also becomes very easy and flexible while taking care of the traffic. All one needs is to type in the new maximum speed, and the system will start updating drivers about it.
Any conventional speed sign will need to be repainted with the new information before putting them back up again, which in most cases is a long-drawn-out process. Using radar speed signs saves a lot of money, time, and resources. They are also easy to install and can be placed at various sites at a much lower cost than conventional signs. They do not need to be frequently maintained and keep the maintenance budget to a minimum with their robust design. They can be transported by car easily and installed without much technical expertise.
Using radar speed signs is more effective than creating and maintaining speed humps to slow down a vehicle. Emergency responders like fire services, ambulances, and police vehicles thus need not slow down and waste valuable time while the rest of the traffic responds and maintains their speed. These digital signs also reduce the need for any workforce, like for the normal speed sign that needs to be painted, transported, and installed. The system can also automatically send a ticket to the overspeeding vehicle without the need for a traffic officer.
The use of these radar speed signs allows for easy transportation to the site where they can readily start recording data. This data collected is then used to research the speeding problem and create a better traffic management system and other higher-level decisions. The normal speed sign method would simply challan the overspeeding driver while this new technology provides them an option to reduce speed and behave as per the law. Statistics point out that people who are provided a way to avoid being penalized will save themselves and, in turn, save others.