Rumble strips to prevent wrong way driving

Evonik has developed a simple but effective concept to reduce the risk of wrong-way drivers. The company’s cold plastic, one-sided rumble strips have been developed following a string of incidents in Germany in which drivers have travelled in the wrong direction on stretches of high-speed autobahn. The marking system has undergone successful initial tests and the concept has been received well by German police, looking for a system to deal with the problem. There are around 75-80 crashes/ year in Germany
August 19, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
4009 Evonik has developed a simple but effective concept to reduce the risk of wrong-way drivers.

The company’s cold plastic, one-sided rumble strips have been developed following a string of incidents in Germany in which drivers have travelled in the wrong direction on stretches of high-speed autobahn. The marking system has undergone successful initial tests and the concept has been received well by German police, looking for a system to deal with the problem. There are around 75-80 crashes/ year in Germany alone resulting from drivers travelling in the wrong direction on the autobahn network.

The one-sided rumble strips are installed on the road surface within a 100cm wide by 2cm deep recessed groove across the lane. The specially shaped cold plastic coating features an uneven, rough bulge that gives potential wrong-way drivers both an audible and physical warning, alerting them of the hazard.

But drivers who are travelling in the correct direction will hardly notice the rumble strips and perceive them as no more than a slight bump in the road. Final trials are being carried out and the firm hopes to have the system ready for market shortly.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Fast, safe and sustainable transport for Johannesburg
    February 14, 2012
    GTZ highlights a pioneering scheme illustrating the potential of Bus Rapid Transit systems as a viable approach to alleviate the traffic and social problems faced by large cities worldwide
    Read More
  • Fast, safe and sustainable transport for Johannesburg
    April 12, 2012
    GTZ highlights a pioneering scheme illustrating the potential of Bus Rapid Transit systems as a viable approach to alleviate the traffic and social problems faced by large cities worldwide Most major cities worldwide have been characterised by the phenomenon of steadily growing urbanisation accompanied by exponentially increasing numbers of private motorised vehicles. This has led to congested roads and sprawling cities, with commuters having to travel long distances to and from work. Despite huge inves
    Read More
  • Bridge uses new forming carriage
    February 7, 2012
    The Holzmatttal Bridge for the A98 autobahn in southern Germany stretches 410m across the valley, and on this build the newly-developed Doka forming carriage TU is said to have demonstrated precisely how it drives progress with extremely short cycle times and speedy forming and stripping out operations. The underslung carriage also permits unobstructed access for site traffic.
    Read More
  • Austria's new tunnel meets safety regulations
    July 13, 2012
    New safety regulations and high traffic volumes require new tunnel construction all across Europe. Mike Woof reports Anew highway tunnel now being built in Austria will boost traffic volumes and safety standards on a key European route. The existing Pfänder Tunnel lies close to Austria's borders with Germany and Switzerland and carries a heavy traffic volume, so a new parallel tunnel is under construction to help spread this load, increasing capacity as well as safety. Stringent tunnel safety standards have
    Read More

Highlighted Content