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Speed Brakers on Road

In some places Speed brakers have contributed to accidents rather than preventing the same. Therefore, it is necessary to change/modify the speed brakers.

It is a common experience that higher the speed of a vehicle more are chances of severe accidents. It is more difficult to control vehicles at higher speeds. It is specially true where vehicles are passing a cross road. Hence controlling speed at road junctions is must. There may not be difference in opinion about this. Vehicle drivers should expect to know only such danger points and location of the speed braker in time. Moment the driver knows location of speed braker he/she should release the accelerator and by the time vehicle reaches speed braker the speed should be within control. (If need be the vehicle should stop within a fraction of metre on application of brakes without any swing to the vehicle. This system would have no objection for the speed braker. There may be some exceptions to the rule. For such drivers there should be inherent punishment in the design of the speed braker. The design should give severe warning but not help in accidents or damage to vehicle. Design of speed braker should be finalised after carrying out adequate experiments. The parameters for experiments should be range of different vehicle speeds, speed of vehicle while crossing speed braker, distance the vehicle travels after the accelerator is released, and instructions to be given to the drivers.

Presently notice boards are displayed at most of the places giving warning to the driver. However, expected effect is not observed. The reasons may be ignorance of drivers, crowd on road, vehicle density, traffic speed, advertisements stuck on the notice boards, inadequate light etc. Many places painted strips on speed braker itself are not visible even during bright day light.

I recommend speed brakers should be constructed in two parts. There should be a secondary speed braker Ten to Twenty metres ahead of the main speed braker (See sketch). Actual distance between these two may be decided based on experiments. The first speed braker may be termed as warning speed braker should consist of seventy millimetre concrete rods or pipes half under ground spaced at two hundred millimetre whenever a vehicles crosses this braker it shall give a warning by way of low vibration that a main speed braker is just near. This will give adequate opportunity to driver to reduce vehicle speed. If speed is reduced and brought to expected low speed the driver should experience mild vibrations on the main speed braker. Design of this speed braker may be similar to earlier one with difference in diameter of the pipes and their spacing. Diameter may be hundred to hundred and fifty millimetre (For more punishment to defaulters the speed braker may be designed like this. Click to see.) There may be a need to have adequate experimentation to arrive at the best dimensions. Triangular pre cast concrete rods also may be useful. There may be some more sections useful for constructing speed brakers.

The final decision on shape and size should be taken after adequate experimentation. These speed brakers must give warnings and control speed. Those who ignore warning must get punishment.