Digital Triangular Road Signs for Improving Road Safety

Abstract

Road accidents result in the loss of life and property, and statistics reveal that they are now the leading cause of death worldwide, surpassing diseases like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and diarrhea. Among the causes of road accidents are broken down vehicles parked on roads. Usually, drivers of broken vehicles use emergency triangular road signs (reflective triangles) to alert oncoming drivers. However, the effectiveness of reflective triangles is hindered by the inability of oncoming drivers to notice those reflective triangles at a reasonable distance due to bad weather and the topography of roads. To solve this problem, the present paper develops a Digital Triangular Road Sign (DiTRoS) algorithm. The algorithm complements the reflective triangles installed on the rear and front sides of a vehicle to warn oncoming drivers. The development of DiTRoS algorithm builds on the navigation system enabled by global positioning system that works on portable devices – specifically smart phones. The DiTRoS algorithm is tested in the natural environment. Results demonstrate that the DiTRoS algorithm is effective in notifying oncoming drivers in advance about the presence of a broken vehicle. The study ends by recommending a minimum distance at which an oncoming driver may start receiving alerts.