Traffic signs could soon be beamed directly on to your car’s dashboard
Highways England is set to trial new technology which could scrap a number of British road signs and overhead gantries
TRADITIONAL road signs and overhead gantries could be ditched in favour of new technology that is able beam traffic information directly into cars.
Highways England has announced plans to trial the tech to enable motorways to communicate with vehicles, flashing speed limits and other information directly onto the dashboard.
The government-owned company is looking at ways to de-clutter Britain's mass of road signs, with trials of the 5G broadband system set to take place on the A2 and M2 between London and Dover later this year.
A report published by Highways England said a range of information including variable speed limits and warnings of traffic jams ahead would be transmitted to dashboard-mounted screens inside vehicles.
The system would also be able to warn drivers of roadworks so they could change lanes well in advance, potentially reducing the chance of traffic build-up at mergers, according to .
During the initial trials, only specially equipped motors will be able to see the in-car information.
And vehicles may need to be fitted with a compatible screen if the system is permanently implemented in the future.
The road network operator hopes the system could improve driver awareness and safety, and even be used to provide future driverless cars with the information they need to operate on Britain's roads.
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Due to run from November this year until December 2020, the trial is expected to cost £20million.
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, told roadside signs offered "the perfect back-up for when the high-tech solution fails", and removing a significant number of them could cause problems for drivers.
In March, we reported on the Department for Transport labelling the number of road signs in Britain as "humiliating", with thousands facing the axe.