Florida Injury Lawyer Blog
Truck drivers in Homestead and other communities rely on roads to get them safely to their destinations. When infrastructure is poorly designed or manufactured, road design issues could cause trucking accidents. Trucks can also put additional pressure on the roads due to their heavy cargo, so that when roads are built poorly trucks can cause quite a bit of damage.
Engineers and city planners are always trying to develop infrastructure and roads that will provide a safe surface for drivers while also offering other benefits. Many experts in the industry are excited about the idea of smart roads, or roads that have embedded technology in order to help prevent accidents, enforce laws, and gather information. Some experts feel that smart roads and highways are the future in Homestead and the rest of Florida.
ITS and Traffic Collisions
Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) are already on the ground – literally – in many parts of the United States and Europe. These smart road systems allow trucks to communicate with the infrastructure and with other vehicles, preventing collisions and preventing overweight trucks from getting on the roads.
For example, virtual weigh scales use sensors embedded in the pavement to gather information about trucks passing over the road surface. As a truck rolls over the smart road, the system gathers information about the truck’s registration, weight, cargo, speed, and other data. If the truck seems to be overloaded, the information is sent to a nearby weigh station, so that the station can flag the truck and have the truck pulled over. Signs along the road can direct the truck to the station for further inspection. This reduces congestion by requiring only some trucks to stop, and improves enforcement since all trucks are automatically checked.
In Europe, the Cooperative ITS Corridor is being built to link Munich, Vienna, and Frankfurt. This innovative road will allow for a continuous drive, thanks to the fact that warning systems will automatically warn drivers of any hazards or obstacles up ahead using transmitters, sensors, and in-car devices. In the future, it is possible that similar corridors will pop up in France and other countries. Such projects are already successful in Japan.
The Future of Smart Roads
It is likely that in the future these types of ITS systems will become more sophisticated and widespread, covering a larger portion of ground so that overweight trucks and other trucks in violation of laws will not be able to evade detection by taking alternate routes. Locating and tracking trucks will be simpler, making it easier to trace deliveries. ITS technology may also be able to prevent some trucking collisions by automatically sending enforcement after truckers weaving over the road, speeding, or engaging in other risky behavior.
If you have been injured by a commercial driver and believe that negligence may have played a role in the collision, get legal advice. You may qualify for a claim and you may be able to pursue the trucker, truck carrier, and other liable parties to recover for pain and suffering, lost income, medical costs, incidental expenses, property damage, car repairs, and more. If you would like to know whether you qualify for a civil claim, contact the law offices of Flaxman Law Group at once for a free accident consultation.