Glow-in-the-Dark Roads A Solution to Minimizing Automobile Accidents

As accident lawyers in Kansas City, we have represented numerous people injured in car accidents, especially at night. We were intrigued by the unique solution of glow-in-the-dark roads to minimize auto accident injuries as explained in the following article.

It sounds more like the movie Tron than reality, but light-absorbing, glow-in-the-dark roads have replaced streetlight on a 500m stretch of highway in the Netherlands.

The road markings were created using photo-luminescent powder that’s mixed into the road paint and they have an almost radioactive-looking effect.

Dan Roosegaarde, the lead designer, got the idea as he was sitting in his car, thinking about the millions spent on roads – yet the fact that not many people seem to care what they look like and how they function.

Part of Roosegaarde’s vision includes weather markings, such as snow drops, that would appear when the temperature reaches freezing. These new glow in the dark roads aim to reduce traffic accidents, especially at night, that can be caused by “lane drift” and driver fatigue.

As an attorney who has litigated cases caused by both lane drift and driver fatigue, I think this is a promising new idea (aside from being fascinated by how it looks and my own childhood memories of the Tron movie and video game). If glow-in-the-dark roads reduce traffic accidents, then truly, who cares how they look?

It also helps that it would reduce reliance on electricity costs if we no longer need street lights for cash-strapped municipalities like Detroit. It sounds like we finally have a way to keep the street lights on.

If you or someone you know has been injured in an accident and you need a car accident attorney, give us a call at 816-400-4878.