Sensing road safety

As serious accidents continue to be a fundamental problem associated with road travel, technology is being developed that can detect multiple traffic violations to make roads safer for all

Words | Nathalie Deguen, Parifex, France

Road safety is a priority for authorities around the world – and France is no exception. While the mortality rate on roads has been decreasing over the past decade, the figures are still worryingly high and it continues to be a big concern. In fact, the improvement is mainly seen in suburban areas, with the number of accidents actually increasing in urban centers. Pedestrians and cyclists are the most affected.

An accident is the consequence of a dysfunction of the human-vehicleenvironment system. It is in the interactions of, and relationships between, these three components that can cause accidents. This approach helps to better understand accidents and to find actions to remedy them. The Reagir surveys were able to estimate the share of each component in severe and fatal accidents, and to reduce key factors. In 90% of accidents, the ‘behavior’ component was present. Educational, preventive and repressive measures have been taken to deal with the behavior likely to generate accidents. Consequently, the French government has been requesting that the leading figures in the field of road safety monitor more violations.

To meet the needs of authorities, French engineering firm Parifex has developed a selection of non-intrusive roadside control tools. The company has been involved with the development of innovative road safety and traffic management solutions, Doppler- and lidar-based systems, for more than 30 years. Indeed, Parifex has supported French law enforcement officials since the 1980s, designing and engineering solutions to meet their evolving requirements. At present, some 400 Parifex solutions are deployed in France and 200 additional ones are to be installed by 2020.

The latest systems deployed will participate in the modernization of the ‘radar fleet’ as it combines simultaneous monitoring of vehicles in both directions with a front and rear image, and determination of the lane and size category of the offending vehicle. The use of digital cameras enables officials to obtain high-resolution images. This enables easy recognition of vehicles, their license plates and their drivers, minimizing any potential disputes.

To meet the increasing expectations of the French government, Parifex makes innovative and intelligent systems that detect multiple violations simultaneously and thus help to prevent dangerous behavior on roads. Its latest creation combines the most advanced sensor and image-capture technologies to monitor multiple violations at the same time: red light and railroad crossing; speed, lane-related (reserved lanes for taxi or buses) and tailgating violations; obstacle detection; and vehicles driving against the flow of traffic (wrong-way drivers). This system is also able to detect four categories of vehicles (heavy trucks, cars, buses and motorcycles) and monitor their speed accordingly.

In the future this system will be able to detect more and more violations simultaneously, playing its part in continuing to improve driver behavior. n

Opposite: A 3D simulation

example of speed and red light enforcement at a cross intersection

Left and above: Parifex’s

innovative double-side speed control system can take two pictures, simultaneously and at different angles, of offending vehicles