App Alerts Pedestrians When Street Crossing

3 FEB 2021 - A mobile application notifies users when approaching pedestrian crossing, Poland's Katowice Provincial Police Headquarters press service reported.

Lots of pedestrian crossing fatalities are due to distraction from phone use. PHOTO: POLICIJA.PL

The app called Stop-fon targets pedestrian distraction when using smartphone around traffic. It was invented by students and teachers of School Complex No. 6 in the town of Jastrzębie-Zdrój, Silesian Voivodeship. Stop-fon runs in background and freezes smartphone screen if it finds it lit around a pedestrian crossing. User is then immediately targeted by a display alert saying „Look Around and Live”. Device will additionally sound and vibrate. Stop-fon is activated by a sensor in the „Pedestrian Crossing” road sign.

Prevention

"Accidents at pedestrian crossings often end tragically. Lots of them occur because of pedestrian distraction due to smartphone use. It is not uncommon to see a person staring at handset while crossing. Meanwhile "zebras" do not give immortality - there is no guarantee of safe passage”, Regional Police Headquarters in Katowice stated. According to the statement the police welcomes any idea which can reduce road fatalities. „This one is good and free. Many crossing tragedies can be avoided by alerting the pedestrians to look around”, concluded the police.

Equipment

As of now 5 crossings in nearby Żory have been equipped with sensors and are safe for Stop-fon users. The app has also received wide acclaim with its inventors awarded the Grand Prix in the Young Inventor category at the International Trade Fair for Inventions and Innovation INTARG in Katowice and the Gold Medal of Invention at the International Exhibition of Inventions and Innovative Technologies ARCHIMEDES in Moscow.