The average fleet manager and field service tech knows that, while night driving is inevitable, it comes with an increase in safety risks for drivers. Well-lit roads are vital for preventing accidents and keeping drivers safe, but governments have struggled with the costs of maintaining street lamps. In the Netherlands, for example, “The government is shutting down streetlights at night to save money,” explains designer Daan Roosegaarde, in an interview with the BBC. To solve this, Roosegaarde has partnered with Heijmans, a Dutch civil engineering firm, to create interactive highways that are lit at night with luminescent paint that allows them to glow in the dark. Says Roosegaard, “This road is about safety and envisaging a more self-sustainable and more interactive world.”
A 500-meter stretch of a Dutch highway is the first real-world test case for these technologies. The green glow in the dark paint charges in the daylight and can glow for up to 8 hours at night. However, the project has a few downsides. “The durability of this product is unknown,” says Ajay Woozageer, a spokesperson for the ministry of transportation in Ontario, Canada, told Global News. “For example, does the product perform on short winter days and long nights or under overcast and cloudy conditions?”
H/T Mashable
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