You might have often seen white and yellow stripes on Indian roads, but have you ever seen bright red stripes in the middle of a highway? These days, travelers are seeing a unique sight on Jabalpur-Bhopal Highway (NH-45) in Madhya Pradesh. For the first time in the country, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has built a road that not only looks unique but also has a very noble and scientific purpose.
A large part of the Jabalpur-Bhopal Highway passes through the dense forests of the Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve. In this high-risk corridor, wild animals were often hit by speeding vehicles while crossing the road. To solve this problem, NHAI has used bright red table-top marking technology. This is the first such project in India where special raised red stripes have been installed on the road surface.
How does this technology work?
This is not just a game of colors, but the psychology behind it is to alert the drivers. As a vehicle passes over these red stripes, the friction between the tires and the road produces a characteristic vibration and sound. Due to this, the driver’s mind becomes immediately active, due to which he applies brakes without thinking. At the same time, red light is considered a danger signal, which warns the driver from a distance that they are going into a sensitive area.
A ‘safety shield’ will be made in the dark of night
Most accidents on highways occur at night when visibility is low. Wild animals can suddenly come on the road amidst dense forests. These red table-top markings glow in headlight light at night, giving drivers advance warning that there is an animal crossing zone ahead. This reduces the speed of the vehicle and gives animals safe time to cross the road.
Benefit to both wildlife and humans
This initiative of NHAI is a big step towards eco-friendly infrastructure. This will not only protect rare wildlife like tigers, leopards and deer, but will also save human lives in road accidents caused by collision with animals.