ROAD SIGNS |
Consistency in the design, color and fonts on signs around the
world could significantly increase the safety of road users
Words | Scott Chapman, Avery Dennison Reflective Solutions, United States
As a manufacturer of
Above: Connected
retroreflective sheeting
and autonomous
used on highway signs
vehicles will rely on
around the world, Avery
clearly identifiable
signage on the
roads of the future Dennison Reflective Solutions’ safety
commitment keeps the company
focused on signing needs for today
and tomorrow’s CAV environment.
Avery Dennison knows it can’t
predict the future, but it strives to
address concerns around self-driving
cars and traffic signs. Will signs
be needed in the future or will sign
data reside in the cloud? Will signs
incorporate smart technology to
communicate in non-visual modes
with vehicles (V2V), infrastructure
(V2I) and pedestrians (V2P)? Will
camera vision systems integrate
traffic sign recognition (TSR)
technology to process sign
symbols and legends?
The pace of technology will
influence how these questions are
answered in the future. Let’s start
with what we know to help those
making today’s design and
maintenance decisions for traffic
signs, which must remain operational
for many years into the future. After
all, sign production, installation,
and ongoing maintenance is a
significant investment for every
public transportation agency,
so avoiding obsolescence is of
supreme importance.
170 Intertraffic World | Annual Showcase 2020
Smart systems
There are multiple features available
on vehicles today that detect lane
markings, other vehicles in the front,
rear and driver blind spot, as well as
pedestrians and other objects. These
features are enabled by a variety of
sensors including radar, sonar, lidar,
and camera systems.
If automotive history teaches us
anything, it is that the technology
platform that ultimately prevails
must demonstrate reliability and
consistency, and be suitable for
low-cost mass production across
multiple vehicle types and models.
Perhaps the most important
system may be in-vehicle cameras
Sign of the times