Police trial lights to warn of bad weather
The lights on the S32 Expressway.
Lights which can detect bad weather and turn red to help drivers keep a distance from each other are on trial in Shanghai.
In the Pudong New Area, the lights on 2 kilometers of the S32 Expressway are being considered as a new drive to improve road safety in the city.
The lights are yellow in normal weather, but when there is dense fog or heavy rain, they can turn red to warn drivers about bad weather ahead.
The lights are 20 meters apart, and when a vehicle passes in bad weather, three to four lights will turn red behind it so as to keep the approaching vehicle at a distance of 60 to 80 meters, police said.
Pudong police said the technology is especially useful in winter when fog can form suddenly in the early morning and endanger traffic safety.
The lights can also be switched to red if there’s an accident, police said.
This technology has been applied to over 2,000 kilometers of expressways across the country and seen positive results in reducing traffic accidents, said Zhou Xiaokai, a spokesman for the supplier.
