traffic+safety+systems

Traffic safety systems
Transportation has been greatly enhanced in last years. The road-traffic management that is becoming obsolete finds new solutions of how to manage roads and how to improve the security. Road-traffic safety aims to reduce the harm (deaths, injuries, and property damage) resulting from crashes of road vehicles traveling on public roads. Harm from road-traffic crashes is greater than that from all other transportation modes (air, sea, space, off-terrain, etc.) combined. (Wikipedia.com, 2006) Some of the today's solutions to manage the roads already use IT in many aspects.Many of the common, ordinary devices are still widely used around the world and in many countries they use some of the following devices to manage the traffic. Firstly there are loop detectors that are wires embedded in the road that detect small changes in electrical voltage caused by a passing vehicle. Traffic speed can be determined by detecting how quickly cars pass between two sets of loop detectors. Volume and speed data is transmitted to a central computer, which is monitored by local transportation departments.If the detector senses a slowdown in traffic it sends a signal to the main computer where the traffic experts can take a better view of what’s going on through the cameras and the messages can be send to warn the traffic users about an accident ahead. This method, having many advantages is though very costly and the governments start to seek for a cheaper solution to aid the modern way of managing roads. Ask yourself a question How Safe are our roads? This way is gradually changing as the IT system tend to develop the newer and more efficient solutions to manage the traffic. Both users of the roads and the authorities will find the road-traffic safety more reliable and secure.For example ,in London there is a management system that automatically acquires the charges for entering the inner part of the city. The sensors are located and placed around the city and are connected to the main database that tracks the activity. Cars on the other hand have the receivers and transmitters to send the required charges. This way, the efficiency is greatly improved , as well as the security and integrity of the system itself. The company 3M and its Traffic Safety Systemsseek to enhance the roads with their new solutions of how to safety manage the traffic on today's roads.Here are some examples :

This system provides intersection right-of-way to authorized vehicles. The "green light" helps emergency vehicles respond more quickly and safely, and it helps transportation vehicles deliver reliable on-schedule service. It also tracks the density of the traffic. If there Is an accident the system responds with a signal that is being sent to the mainframe and could be redirected somewhere else ( road) The system can be shared by transit vehicles to improve route efficiency and on-time arrival.
 * Priority Control Systems

What this device does is pretty simple. The software installed in the device is guided by a macro that calculates the speed sent back from the radar. The AC power provides the outlet for the device that could be setup anywhere. Features also available include software for scheduling on/off times of operation, “slow now” message, and the ability to download speed data from the sign. Speed data is analyzed using the 3M™ DFS Reporter Macro.
 * Driver Feedback Signs

Traffic Sensing System is a matched component system that provides complete, accurate and reliable data for traffic monitoring and classification at low life cycle costs - in every lane, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.The sensors are hidden way below the surface of the road and with the magnetic charges, they send the data of the upcoming vehicles (such as speed , weight etc...)to the main database where the analytics can analyze it and change traffic rules if necessary (if accident occurs).
 * Traffic Sensing System

The idea behind this system is to locate the vehicle anywhere at any time. How is it possible? Well, the today's authorities want to install the GPSreceivers and transmitters in the cars in order to improve the stability and security of the roads. All of the vehicles could be monitored at a real time basis if they have the transmitter installed in their cars. The mainframe would then receive all of those signals and put it into analysis to come up with results and solutions. Advantages:
 * Vehicle allocation System

Disadvantages:
 * The traffic could be monitored at a real-time basis.
 * Less accidents occur due to the use of management systems.
 * Allocation of vehicles and monitoring could be used.
 * Drivers are warned if their speed is exceeding.
 * Vehicles with previlages could deliver on-time services.
 * Governments could track the density of the traffic.
 * London example, people do not have to go and pay charges outside, they could stay in the car and let it do it for them.

Social and Ethical Issues:
 * Power failures could reset the software and cause the malfunction in the system.
 * Accidents still occur, people are not dependent enough on the IT solutions
 * It is still hard to manage the traffic securely.
 * The applied solutions are really costly so not every government could use them.
 * GPS does not always work correctly, the accuracy of the data could be great and lead to miscalculation in the tracking.


 * 1) Reliability - The safety systems might become unreliable if the data is entered incorrectly into the mainframe or if the malfunction causes a breakdown. In that case the traffic has to be stopped or sometimes could cause accidents on the roads.
 * 2) Integrity - The data inside the main systems could be tampered, it has to correspond with the chosen variables.
 * 3) Security - As all of the systems seek to improve the security of the people on the roads, they also are dangerous in many ways.What if the virus enters the database and deletes the macros and functions for the management of the traffic. That would be a disaster.The authorities have to watch over their systems.
 * 4) Privacy and Anonymity - People could be tracked on the roads therefore their privacy could be violated in some way.
 * 5) Authenticity - using the GPS tracking and the car details with its driver's info greatly enhances the way we look at the authentication of the cars on the roads.
 * 6) Equality of Access - Those sophisticated systems are really expensive in both maintenance and managing and not every government has the funds to afford such a piece of technique to be installed in the major cities and outside them.
 * 7) Control - Computers do most of the tasks, set by the programmers therefore they are in control. They are not monitored all of the time by the special staff, some of the tasks are done automatically.
 * 8) People and Machines - The integration with the system such as the London payment control gives the users the chance to experience easier methods for paying parking and staying bills. Another systems improve the reaction and control of the users of the roads.

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