Student idea for safer level crossings

In Poland there are over 10 thousand crossings without safety barriers or traffic lights. The data show that 97 percent collisions taking place on this type of level crossings result from incorrect behaviour of car drivers.

"Driving with my parents around the world I have noticed that it is quite a common problem. Then I started to think, what can be done to improve safety. Fine-tuning the system took about three months" - told PAP the invention author Jakub Zyngier - student of the Partisan AK "Jędrusie" School Complex in Połaniec.

The purpose of the invention is to just increase the safety of unguarded level crossings. "The main objective is to increase the amount of visual signals reaching the driver who approaches an unguarded crossing" - explained Zyngier.

In his system, if a train is one kilometre from level crossing, LEDs placed on the saltire and the "stop" sign start flashing. From that moment, it takes the train about three minutes to reach the crossing. "If a car approaching the crossing begins to slow down before the crossing, the LED flash at the same rate. On the other hand, if you do not slow down, or even accelerate to make it before the train, the LEDs will flash faster and brighter. The idea is that flashing LEDs should force the driver to stop and signal that failure to stop will put him or her in danger" - explained Jakub Zyngier in an interview with PAP.

In addition to LEDs, the system consist of two sensors placed on the road one kilometre before the level crossing. Located at a distance from each other they would measure the vehicle speed. "On the tracks there would be a strain gauge, which would measure the force and register an approaching train. When the train hits a strain gauge, the LEDs will flash and the road sensors placed before the railway crossing will determine whether the approaching car accelerates to make it before the train, or intends to stop" - described the young inventor.

He admitted that he had a signal from an institution interested in his invention. It is a power plant located near Połaniec. "It\'s quite a large industrial plant, which has a few kilometres of tracks and several unguarded level crossings on site. It is possible that something will come of it" - admitted Zyngier.

"I have not seen such a system anywhere in the world. It has to be implemented in the most cost-effective way. According to my estimates, a single set would cost about 500 zlotys" - emphasised Jakub Zyngier.

The invention has already been awarded a gold medal with distinction at the International Warsaw Invention Show - IWIS 2015. It also took second place in the competition "Young Innovator", organized by the Polish Federation of Engineering Associations, and won a bronze medal at the competition accompanying the International Exhibition for Young Inventors in Taiwan.

PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland

ekr/ mki/ zan/

tr. RL