Majority of accidents take place in cities, an environment which has always been sensitive to traffic problems. Carelessness being the main cause of accidents, other reasons include the conditions of the road, the horizontal and vertical signs and lighting. 3M, BMW Motorrad and the students of Politechnio Di Milano have teamed up to come up with a neat solution that will help make street biking safe. The concept, which is part of the “Safer Streets” project, is based on the tufts made of polymer brushes, equipped with a lighting system LED on the head of the pile. These tufts trap and cushion motorcyclists, and prevent high speed collisions with the ground or against bridge supports, streetlamps, signs or any other obstacle. To provide EU with safer crash barriers, tufts contain ambient lighting that highlights the presence of hazards and sharp corners. To make potholes and sinkholes visible to riders, holes are created in the top layer of the road exposing the bright color beneath making riders aware of the hazards. Thus, consequences of an accident are reduced actively thereby improving safety passively.
