Safety on Asia’s Highways: Brimming with Innovation reports IRF Washington office

While efforts to improve road safety on the Asian continent are finally starting to pay off, the challenge to reduce fatalities remains immense. According to the Asian Development Bank, 60% of the annual 1.2 million fatal traffic injuries take place on Asia’s road network. Many of the contributing factors to this epidemic such as deficient infrastructure, outdated standards, and poor enforcement can be addressed with proper political leadership, well trained agency staff, and knowledge resources. However,
June 11, 2019 Read time: 3 mins
Intelligent Variable Speed Enforcement System
While efforts to improve road safety on the Asian continent are finally starting to pay off, the challenge to reduce fatalities remains immense. According to the Asian Development Bank, 60% of the annual 1.2 million fatal traffic injuries take place on Asia’s road network. Many of the contributing factors to this epidemic such as deficient infrastructure, outdated standards, and poor enforcement can be addressed with proper political leadership, well trained agency staff, and knowledge resources.


However, technological innovation also offers an increasingly attractive pathway for Asia’s decision-makers. They need look no further than the Incheon International Airport Expressway, which comprises Yeongjong Grand Bridge, the world’s first three-dimensional self-anchored suspension bridge, running 4,420m with double-decked bridge that accommodates road (upper deck and lower deck) and railway (lower deck) traffic.

Dense fog and strong winds occur frequently on Yeongjong Grand Bridge located on the sea. On February 11th, 2015, fog had lowered visibility to 50m at the time of a serious crash which caused a 106-car rear-end collision on the bridge. After the accident, New Airport Hiway Co (NAH), which manages the facility, conducted a joint research program with Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the National Police Agency and the Road Traffic Authority to identify the traffic management countermeasures to ensure the driver’s safety at the weather-vulnerable marine bridge.

As a result of these coordinated efforts, NAH developed an Intelligent Variable Speed Enforcement System (iVSES). This monitors conditions such as fog, wind, rainfall and snowfall in real time, and transmits them to the traffic control centre which may in turn decide to lower the speed limit or close the bridge. Drivers are automatically notified of the new speed limit through a variety of channels including variable speed limit signs, variable message signs, lane control systems, the emergency broadcasting system, as well as fog lights. Simultaneously, the section video enforcement system detects any speed limit violations resulting from the changes to the speed limit. And an Automatic Incident Detection System detects any occurrences, such as stopped vehicles or pedestrians, within 15 seconds, and triggers the appropriate emergency protocols.

iVSES is the first variable speed enforcement system in Korea, and it can legally limit the speed of traffic according to weather conditions. Since its introduction on the Yeongjong Grand Bridge in 2017, traffic collisions have decreased by 34% and speeding vehicles by 74%. In recognition of the results and significant potential of this technology throughout Asia, iVSES was presented an IRF Global Road Achievement Award in the Road Safety Category.


Commenting on the award, Ji-Young Koh, President of New Airport Hiway Co, noted, “In the future, we hope that the project will become a reference in many countries around the world and lead to the introduction of innovative safety facilities to prevent car traffic accidents and ensure the safety of road users.”

Related Content

  • Indra tech to boost safety on Colombia highway
    August 2, 2019
    Indra is to supply traffic management technology, communications and toll systems to the Bucaramanga-Barrancabermeja-Yondó highway in Colombia, in a deal valued at €10.5 million. The company says its line of Mova Traffic solutions will manage the 152km roadway, which unites the Santander department in the Andes mountains with the country's main oil production centres. Indra’s Horus integrated traffic and tunnel management platform is expected to provide operators with real-time information of everyt
    Read More
  • Variable message signs emerging from the shadows
    July 8, 2016
    Variable message signs are increasingly seen on the world’s motorways. World Highways looks at some of the latest developments UK manufacturer of temporary, solar powered variable message signs, Bartco UK, has unveiled what it says is the first temporary VMS designed for use within work zones. Bartco said that its HD Quattro was developed in response to feedback from customers requiring a product to affirm on-site speed limits for work zone vehicles. The unit is designed to show limited amounts of inform
    Read More
  • Smart road test facility in Virginia
    July 28, 2015
    A test stretch of road in the US is playing a valuable role in developing technology and boosting traffic safety -*Tom Gibson writes Located a short distance from the Virginia Tech campus in the mountains of rural southwest Virginia in the mid-Atlantic region of United States, the Virginia Smart Road looks like a conventional road. But venturing to either end of the 3.5km-long thoroughfare reveals that it actually goes nowhere, at least for now. The result of a plan conceived back in the 1980s, the Vi
    Read More
  • Via Nordica turns international
    July 31, 2012
    Via Nordica, the road technology conference of the five Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) has changed from the traditional Nordic event to become more international The conference, held every four years, rotates between the five countries, and the 2008 event, held in Helsinki, the Finnish capital, was a clear demonstration of the international trend. An accompanying exhibition attracted more than 70 companies and organisations from 14 countries. Pär-Håkan Appel, the secretary g
    Read More

Highlighted Content