Solar Road Studs, new roadways technology
Solar road studs are the consummation of years of cross networking by researchers, officials, and designers. SRS, as they have came to be called, utilize the solar rays absorbed in the daylight hours, via exterior solar cells, to convert a mere two or three hours worth of sunlight into a staggering eight to ten days worth of illumination capability when fully charged. |  |
Unlike reflective road studs, there is no need for the presence of headlights to activate the SRS, as they consistently stay lit up or flash, regardless of exterior lighting sources. On some models, a photocell activates the light at sunset or in foggy weather. Solar pavement markers illuminate the roadway up to a mile ahead. That is ten times the normal distance a driver can generally see at night.
Like solar street lights, solar traffic signs and solar traffic lights, solar road studs are mainly used for road safety, traffic guidance and to mark traffic hazards. The extra bright flashing LEDs are extremely efficient at warning earlier than usual reflective road studs. Such advanced traffic management and road safety system gives drivers enough time to react adequately in case of emergency. |
More info on solar road studs  | Completely self-contained and requiring no maintenance, solar road studs are designed to handle extremely high compression. The use of aluminum, polycarbonate and reinforced glass makes them almost indestructible.
A life span of more than 5 years is realistic on good SRS models.
Lighting is obtained by extra bright LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes).
High intensity LEDs are powered by NiMh rechargeable batteries or by super capacitors on more recent products.
Super capacitors are not toxic. They have an impulse power ten times superior to rechargeable batteries and are capable of very high energy storage. Road studs using super capacitors can have a life span of more than 15 years. |
The cause of each individual accident spans a wide spectrum, but many have been traced to poor visibility (i.e. fog, intense rain), sharp curves, and unclear road perimeters. Further research revealed that 55 percent of these accidents occurred after sunset. Armed with this knowledge, officials began to do a further study into the incidents of post-sunset traffic incidents. As it turns out, ninety percent of a driver’s reaction is entirely dependent upon what they can clearly see.
Extensive testing has revealed that the benefits of solar road studs include, but are not limited to, a greater reduction in accidents, better driver visibility rates, and awareness of sudden turns or dips in the roadway allowing the driver time to adjust speed as opposed to sudden unexpected braking or high-speed turns.
The occurrence of late night traffic accidents has been on a steady rise since the conception of the automobile. Experts credit this to consistently rising speed limits, faster vehicles, the rising occurrence of commuting careers requiring long-range travel, and the supply and demand requiring more over the road long distance delivery jobs. Of course, there are a number of alternate factors, but these are the more prevalent.
If all goes as expected, the near future will reveal all major roadways lined with this new cutting-edge technology. It is the hopes of the designers and producers that solar road studs will greatly decrease the numbers of darkness and bad weather related accidents, both on American highways, as well as those of all foreign countries. |
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