14 DAY TRIAL // Traffic boxes located beside major freeways are already monitoring traffic at the busiest intersections on the road network, but could become even smarter, able to prevent collisions at traffic intersections that lack traffic signals.
The "smart" traffic signs are a project of researchers from the Transportation Research Institute at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and are now being tested at a four-way, limited-visibility urban intersection with high-speed access from the main road.
A computer and two cameras will identify and alert incoming drivers about imminent collisions. These applications will help drivers make correct decisions and avoid collisions at traffic intersections that lack traffic signals.
System developer Dr. Yotam Abramson explains that intersections without traffic lights are more prone to accidents, because drivers who are approaching from secondary roads do not notice the traffic sign and are not aware that they do not have the right of way.
Another possibility is the driver noticing the sign but not being able to estimate the risks of a collision because of low visibility. In order to prevent this, the two cameras are mounted on a pole at the intersection, with one of them facing the main road and the other the secondary road.
"In both cases, the driver makes the incorrect decision," says Abramson. "The assumption is that the flashing light will draw the driver's attention to the sign and increase his alertness."
The controlling computer is located below and constantly processes data it receives from the cameras. When a potentially dangerous situation arises, flashing lights on two yield signs at the intersection are activated to alert incoming drivers.
Another possible use of the smart traffic sign is to either flash or delay the green light when a driver is about to enter the intersection running their red light, so that the drivers respecting the rules don't crash into the irresponsible one.
To avoid drivers getting used to running red lights when they know the green one will be delayed for the others, the smart sign will also act as a traffic violation camera.