A small Australian company has introduced a groundbreaking invention that could save thousands of lives.
Tarmac Linemarking from Victoria's Gippsland collaboration with OmniGrip and Vic Roads is trialling its new photoluminescent lines on a 1kilometre stretch, along Metong Road in the southeastern region of Victoria.
This Victoria Gippsland-based company harnessed the principles of photoluminescence, akin to the technology used in children's glow-in-the-dark toys. The response from drivers who have experienced these pioneering roads has been overwhelmingly positive, with many considering them "life-saving."
Tarmac Linemarking told the News: 'There's been a lot of interest since the trial run, it's a great product".
The regional Australian company envisions applications for this product in dimly lit car parks, pedestrian walkways, boat ramps, and, significantly, road safety enhancement.
Furthermore, the state government is exploring the possibility of implementing LED-lit pavements near intersections and improving reflective markings.
According to Regional Roads Victoria: 'This treatment will make it easier for drivers to see the line markings or signage and provide stronger definition coming up to intersections and curves, giving drivers more time to react and preventing them from veering from their lane,'
'This will be particularly beneficial for people who are not familiar with driving through the area.'
Images showcasing this innovation were shared by Tarmac Linemarking and quickly went viral on Facebook with over 100,000 likes and received 47,000 up-votes on Reddit.
One person said: Brilliant! This should help on a foggy night also.
A second wrote: That really is a good idea. And every time a car drives past at night, the headlights give it a boost. Unfortunately, the light does tend to fade after a short time but hey, anything's better than no lighting at all.
A third commented: Really good "next step" from the reflective road markings we now have - which is still a step up in itself from the plain white/yellow paint of yore. Love that it has its own light source, so that vehicles/people/animals etc on the road/roadside have an extra level of visibility, even when/if a vehicle approaches with its lights off/broken, etc - and makes walking or cycling at night an untold number of times safer. Repaint the state.
Someone else said: Fantastic idea
