Do you know the “anti-collision radar”?

The Road safety recently sent a “request for information” to manufacturers of traffic control systems. The goal? “Design and deploy (…) a new site alert system, with a view to preventing accidents at work for services in charge of road maintenance”.

Still too many bodily and material accidents to deplore

The stakes are high. Every year, the patrollers, road agents, repairmen, gendarmes et firefighters intervening in traffic unfortunately risk their lives near the expressways. Last year, we regret 8 dead et 169 material accidents et bodily on the highway. And between January and May of this year, it’s already 58 clashes et an agent killed. Almost every time, the same causes… l’inattention or the somnolence in more than three out of five dramas. Hence the need to educate drivers, and above all, to alert the dizzy before it is too late!

Prevention to avoid tragedies

However, some good practices are simple to follow to avoid these tragedies. Already, in slowing down as soon as a luminous “arrow” appears on the horizon. Then, in not fixing their gaze on the intervention in progress. This is unfortunately the best way to deport in its direction! Finally, it is essential to respect the security corridor. It is necessary to shift one lane when possible to leave the right one free. A maneuver that 67% of drivers would not always perform according to the Barometer of responsible driving VINCI Autoroutes Foundation.

A specific request from Road Safety

If, despite everything, an accident proves unavoidable, there is still a way to avoid the worst: warn in time danger teams. Some Vinci vans are already fitted with a traffic camera and identifies vehicles with suspicious trajectories. A so-called “automatic incident detection” system that road safety seems to want to push further today. The “request for information” that it is launching until August 31 is indeed aimed at designing a “immediate alert service (…) in the event of the approach of a vehicle at abnormally high speed, and with an abnormal trajectory”.

An “anti-collision” radar for prevention

Concretely, it could be a kind of radar laid upstream of the intervention zone, on a tripod or on a van. Its function is to control the approach speed of vehicles according to the limitation, analyze their trajectory, predict potentially dangerous situations… and, in the event of a proven risk, alert the teams busy on the roadside by a shrill siren, but also the “suspicious” driver by a powerful visual alert.

The assembly must be able to operate anywhere, be movable, autonomous and positionable near a motorway worksite or elsewhere… Characteristics which some radars (Parifex Nano-Cam, Mesta Mobile) could already meet. It remains to adapt them to this new mission to make them fit to save the skin of the men in yellow.