Glow-in-the-Dark Highways: The Next Standard Feature?

While automakers are investing heavily in vehicle safety, national authorities have been busy trying to improve road safety through infrastructure. One of the most innovative solutions could be glow-in-the-dark highways.

This concept was designed by Daan Roosegaarde, owner of Studio Roosegaarde, a design lab based in the Netherlands. The studio has developed various traffic-safety products, including interactive streetlights, and battery-charging tracks. Their latest project, a so-called “Smart Highway” received the Best Future Concept award at the Dutch Design Awards 2012.

Glow-in-the-Dark Road Markings

The Smart Highway is an innovative solution quite different than traditional highways we know. For one thing, the highways have road markings made of photo-luminescent paint, which glow in the dark, improving visibility at night and in poor weather conditions. The markings are charged by the sunlight throughout the day, and glow for up to 10 hours after sundown. This could be especially useful for poorly lit highways and country roads.

Integrated Weather Warnings

Additionally, the highways will be marked with dynamic paint, which will appear on the road when temperatures drop below freezing. To warn drers about the risk of ice, the paint will be activated, and will appear on the pavement in the shape of snowflakes. This way, drivers will be know that the road is slippery, and they will be able to adjust their speed accordingly. In the future, as technology advances, and cars get smarter, roads will communicate directly to cars, letting them know when to reduce speed.

Furthermore, this highway includes interactive streetlights. These lights will only illuminate when a vehicle approaches, and will turn off when there are no vehicles on the road. This is a feature that will save a lot of energy. All of these features are quite innovative, and will surely help reduce the number of collisions, especially at night and in winter conditions.

Green Route

On top of its safety features, the highway includes a designated charging lane that will charge the batteries of electric cars in the lane. This project has already begun in the Dutch province of Brabant, where a 150-meter stretch of road with this technology has been laid out.

Though this concept may seem futuristic, it is actually very feasible. Because it is not very expensive, the idea is being considered by many other European countries.

In the USA

As far as the U.S. is concerned, the concept designer hopes to bring the Smart Highway to the West Coast, where there are a lot of electric cars that would benefit from dedicated charging lanes.