Led Laser Side Lights & And Safety Monitoring System

Background

The volume of traffic in the world is increasingly high leading to heavier traffic jams. Thus people resort to riding a motorcycle for its convenience and ease to weave in and out of traffic jams. Motorcycle riders are exposed to unique dangers not faced by other vehicle drivers. They are directly exposed to their surroundings and are not protected by any form of barrier around them. This led to a high percentage of traffic accidents and fatalities involving motorcyclists. In the first half of 2017 alone, motorcycle deaths makeup close to 40% of traffic fatalities in Singapore. Furthermore, a common cause of traffic accident in Singapore involves changing lane without due care. This resulted in 487 injuries and 4 fatal accidents in 2016. Therefore, motorcyclists are common victims on the road due to their sheer lack of size and visibility and are prone to careless driving errors due to their lane splitting habits.

Problem

Current LED tail lights are mostly used for smaller sized bicycles or used for a motor vehicle's reverse light indicator. Our proposed LED side lights continuously emit light on the road creating a boundary for the motorcycle, thus allowing improved visibility of the motorcycle especially at night. This also helps a motorcyclist gauge in their lane splitting habits avoiding unreasonable lane splitting between large vehicles. Also there is no way for the rider himself to be aware of infringements into his space in the back half of the vehicle without turning around and checking for himself. This in its own may pose other risks.

Solution

Based on Research done in Auckland, conspicuity was a major factor and reason behind many motorcycle accidents. It was found that there is a significantly lower risk- 19% - 37% ,of getting into an accident for riders who were more conspicuous on the roads even during daytime.

The main purpose of this proposal is to introduce a new accessory set for motorcycles to increase their visibility on the road. The product consists of four LED lights and a compact monitor. The LED lights will project a bright red laser light onto the road surface highlighting the perimeter of the vehicle. This effectively warns surrounding vehicles to keep a safe distance thus helping to avoid traffic accidents. The LED lights will be mounted to the indicator lights of the vehicle and should be operational as long as the engine is on. Each LED light itself is lightweight with a width of 3 cm and height of 2cm. For the monitoring system, it will be a very simple and compact system which uses the difference in the distance from the LED light to the road to detect interferences to the boundaries set. It will be attached to the handlebar of the motorcycle, displaying the 4 regions the LED lights cover and any possible dangers in each region; Green indicating “safe” and orange indicating possible infringement and danger. It will also inform the rider of any possible malfunction of the device (sign on the right will flash if so) and continuously display the speed of the driver and notify them if they are above the speed limit.

Benefits

The LED side lights cover almost the whole perimeter around the motorcyclists and utilise powerful LED lasers. This means that not only will the motorist himself be able to gauge and make better decisions in his practices on the roads but it will also help the drivers of larger vehicles on the road be more aware of the presence of a motorcycle near them. With this increased wariness from both parties, the risk of an accident should be reduced considerably. In addition, these sidelights will increase the confidence among the motorists and can help to avoid dangerous impulsive decisions made to avoid accidents. The safety monitoring screen will keep the driver aware of vehicles that have infringed into the area covered by the LED lights, allowing riders to take precautionary steps accordingly.

Benefits to consumer

These LED sidelights will not cost much and maintenance will be low as in any other LED light. It is also energy efficient which is a significant feature considering that these lights are meant to be switched on at all times. In light of emphasis on safety of motorists by the government in Singapore, in the near future, it will be wise to propose making these lights compulsory for motorcyclists in Singapore. This would mean manufacturers of motorcycles will need to include these lights before import and thus the cost of the lights will not be borne by the motorists themselves. The monitoring screen can be one that is simple and compact, with minimal other functions so as to reduce cost and maintenance.

These sidelights need not be manually operated by the motorists and instead should be wired directly to the engine. This will mean that as long as the engine is switched on, the LED lights will be in operation as well. As for the device attached to the motorcycle, it can also be wired directly to the engine and run on power from the engine. This would mean that this device will continuously be running as well.

Implementation

To implement these LED sidelights we will be working closely with a research institute to develop a technology which will be able to create a reliable LED laser light system that will be able to provide precise and accurate information. These LED laser lights will be able to detect interferences through the difference in distance from the light source to the surface of the road. Any major change in distance will indicate a possible hazard.Costs/BudgetLED Lights $4 eachWire: $4 Screen Monitor: $60Total device cost: $80.

Conclusion

Safety on the road is not to be taken lightly. With the LED sidelights and safety monitoring system, the number of fatalities from traffic accidents can be heavily reduced with increased awareness from all road users. This product will also encourage motorists to practice safe habits and avoid irresponsible riding on the road. It is of utmost importance to keep our roads safe.