Traffic Management

Each Solar Road Panel measures roughly 12 feet by 12 feet (4 meters by 4 meters) and contains a microprocessor that monitors and controls the panel, while communicating with neighboring panels and the vehicles traveling overhead. This means that you have a communications device every 12 feet (4 meters) it the road: every road, everywhere.

Imagine what you can do with this kind of control: the dashed road lines that you see on highways can "travel" alongside you at the designated speed limit. If your car is moving faster than the lines, you are going too fast. If your car is being passed by the line, you're driving too slowly. You can maintain the proper speed while never having to look at your speedometer.

The road can warn you of traffic congestion ahead and even recommend detours around it. You can enter a destination into your onboard GPS and an arrow can appear in the road directly ahead of your vehicle to "lead" you there, rather than audibly describing how to get to your destination.

If a vehicle crosses the center line too many times within a given distance, a ring of LEDs can be drawn around the vehicle, which will travel with it indefinitely. This will warn other drivers of a potential danger and will alert law enforcement officials of a potential problem. It may just be someone tuning their radio, eating a Big Mac, reading a map, or applying makeup (we've seen all of these), but it may also be an impaired driver on his/her way to taking out a family of four. The Solar Roadways could drastically reduce the number of deaths/injuries caused by impaired driving. This too, ought to result in lowered insurance rates for all of us.