Effective Road Markings are Key to an Automated Vehicle Future

摘要

Over the next 50 years the advent of automated vehicle systems will significantly disrupt and transform the road marking industry. Tesla CEO, Elon Musk recently suggested that in 10 years nearly all new cars made in the U.S. will be autonomous and within 20 years, owning a human driven vehicle will be similar to owning a horse - rare and optional. Road marking professionals would be justified in wondering where they fit in this grand new future. Is the industry akin to buggy whip manufacturers at the turn of the 20th century or a vital component of future transportation? While it might be interesting to review all the ways the horse-to-auto analogy is dissimilar to the human driven to automated vehicle system - I will leave that discussion for another time. I believe that road markings will play a significant role in the short term (5-10 years) and the longer-term future transition to automation (10-30 years).