Glow-in-the-dark roads are on their way in the Netherlands
Driving can be more than just a way of getting from one place to another faster, for many it is an activity that comes with a certain degree of pleasure and can be used to relax and unwind. Obviously this depends heavily on when and where you’ll be driving, but that is beside the point.
One side of driving that is less liked by most people is night driving, because of the reduced visibility and the reliance on headlights, one has to be considerably more careful and more focused when driving at night. However, a couple of Dutch firms have been working on lighting up the highway at night by using glow-in-the-dark paint.
The people at Studio Roosegararde and Heijmans Infrastructure have developed a paint that is treated with a luminous powder, which ‘charges’ during the daylight hours and can then glow for up to ten hours at night.
The companies want to have all Dutch highways, and ultimately all roads, re-lined with their special paint in order to improve visibility at night and make driving much safer.
While researching and developing this special powder, the two companies have also designed a “dynamic paint” that actually reacts to certain temperatures. Designed for colder climates, when ice crystals form, the ‘dynamic paint’ activates so as to warn drivers about the road conditions.
The idea behind the glow-in-the-dark paint is that it would increase the level of safety and visibility to all road users, as opposed to various and expensive in-car technologies that are only available to those who can afford them.
As part of the wider road safety plan, there’s also talk about an electric priority lane capable of charging vehicles as they drive, and ‘wind lights’ that will turn on when a vehicle approaches.
