But why put such a high-tech system at an intersection that lacks
traffic signals? Why not just put up some traffic signals?
According to Abramson, traffic signals alone don't reduce the number of
accidents at intersections. Statistics show that the chance of an accident in a signalized intersection is no lower than in a non-signalized one.
Also, said Abramson, traffic signals delay traffic on major roads. In
fact, with traffic lights at all intersections, it takes a person five
to 10 times as much time to travel from point A to point B.
"Most of this time will be wasted on standing in front of a redundant red
signal, where no traffic exists on the other road," he said.
The list is long of the kinds of things a highway planner could do
with that information, said Phillip Tarnoff, director of the Center
for Advanced Transportation Technology at the University of Maryland.
"If we knew more about when cars were getting closer to an
intersection, we could do a much better job of timing signals," he
said.
But despite the safety benefits of such a system, municipalities might
shy away from it because of the unavoidable cost of installing and
maintaining the system, said Tarnoff.
"Even though it's a good idea, I think it's unlikely that something
like this would receive wide spread acceptance in the U.S. and even
elsewhere in the world," said Tarnoff.
Right now, Abramson and his team are currently evaluating the smart
signal at a four-way urban intersection in Tel Aviv by measuring the
number of "almost accidents" with and without the device.
Eventually, the alert could detect pedestrians at a crosswalk and even be
used to generate an alert inside the vehicle. That way if the driver
doesn't brake, the car just might.
Related Links:
The Smart Junction Project
The Center
for Advanced Transportation Technology
Technology Review
Popular Mechanics
