Astucia SolarLite - The End of Highway Car Wrecks?

Poor lighting (associated with high-speeds) can very often lead to very serious accidents and this is the reason why various state authorities around the world are constantly trying to come up with some sort of lighting and warning system that will require a relatively small amount of electricity, while doing a great job during nighttime. And this is exactly what we'll talk about as follows, namely the Astucia SolarLite, a system so innovative (yet simple to use) that it might actually have a very serious impact on the number of accidents that occur on poorly-lighted roads.

Thus, according to NewPress, the Astucia SolarLite stud stores solar energy during the day, then built-in Light Emitting Diodes automatically illuminate from dusk to dawn, providing drivers with up to 900 metres of visibility. This is ten times greater than the traditional, retro-reflective, passive road stud which relies on being illuminated by the headlight beam of the approaching vehicle and has an useful range of 90 meters at best.

The increased visibility given by the SolarLite road stud extends driver reaction times from 3.2 to over 30 seconds, when driving at 60mph (96 kilometers per hour). Furthermore, it seems that these things do actually work, since the studs are now in use in approximately 120 locations across the UK and a number of Local Authorities have reported reductions in nighttime accidents of well over 70% since the installation of the SolarLite "smart" road studs.

The latest Astucia stud reduces casualties on the road and has a projected life of eight to ten years, compared with just one to two years for a conventional retro-reflective stud. Over its lifespan an Astucia "smart" stud will therefore cost no more than a traditional cat's eye. The units' efficiency can also allow a reduction in the use of energy- and maintenance-intensive, carbon-inefficient, streetlights.

The smart, safe and sustainable concept that created the Astucia SolarLite studs was conceived in 1989 by Martin Dicks. A former member of the London Fire Brigade, he formed Astucia to develop and market his invention in 1992.

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