In-road safety warning system

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After evaluating the relative merits of roadside, over-road and in-pavement warning lights, PNE Electronics has released SafeZone, an in-pavement flashing warning beacon system that is radio controlled and battery powered.

SafeZone comprises three elements: the in-road flashing warning beacons (or IRADs — In-Road Alert Devices); a roadside controller (a post-mounted device that interfaces between the road authority, eg the RTA, and the in-road light array); and a roadside repeater (a post-mounted device for larger arrays where RF signals need to be repeated from the main controller — optional, depending on site layout and inter-nodal distances).

The SafeZone IRAD sticks out of the road surface the same distance as a standard cats eye, with the bulk of the light being in the road. IRADs are placed in line with the lane markers or the centre line of the road and spaced out every 4 to 6 m. Designed to endure years of road traffic, and fitted with long-life batteries, this radio-controlled solution delivers a highly effective visual warning to drivers of a changed condition that requires them to slow down, by placing the warning element in their direct field of view, ie, the road ahead.

Because SafeZone is very compact, radio controlled and battery powered, it’s quicker and considerably less expensive to install than wired (externally powered/controlled) lights, is reprogrammable (eg, can have activation times or flash rates changed as required, to suit changing road conditions) and can be placed in areas away from fixed control infrastructure.

This makes it suitable for applications such as pedestrian crossings, railway crossings, school zones, fire or ambulance station exits, or stretches of road that might be periodically affected by fog.