Sensors alert drivers to oncoming traffic on hairpin bends

Smart sensors improve safety on one of India’s most dangerous and deadly highways through sensor technology.

National Geographic lists India’s Jammu-Srinagar Highway as one of the world’s most dangerous. Numerous hairpin bends with two to three kilometer drops at the edge combine to make it also one of the most deadly. Speeding drivers have no way of knowing what is coming around the corner. Until now, that is. HP Lubricants and creative agency Leo Burnett India designed the #RoadsthatHonk smart sensors to help reduce traffic accidents and improve general driving practices along the road.

The sensors use a range of technology, including radar, wireless capabilities, solar power and more, to detect the speed of any oncoming traffic. The sensors are placed in pairs, one at each end of the tightest curves, and they communicate with each other to create a smart anti-collision warning system. When traffic is detected, the sensors on the poles light up and emit a loud honk to alert each driver to the one on the other side of the road.

With ever more people moving to urban areas, road safety is of paramount importance to local governments. Creative solutions range from using an app to gamify better traffic design and using a variety of public awareness campaigns to try to change behaviors. What are some of the main challenges currently delaying more widespread adoption of smart, driverless public transport solutions?