Lightguard Systems is a California

traffic safety Road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures used to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured. Typical road users include pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, vehicle passengers, horse riders, and passengers of on-roa ...

device company known for developing “Smart Crosswalk”, the earliest pedestrian safety system to use

embedded pavement flashing-light system An embedded flashing-light system or an in-pavement flashing-light system is a type of device that is used at existing or new pedestrian crosswalks to warn drivers of oncoming pedestrian traffic. The device usually consists of LED lights that are e ...

Founding

Lightguard Systems Inc. produces Lighted Crosswalk Systems invented by its founder, Michael Harrison. Inspired by a series of fatal pedestrian traffic incidents in Santa Rosa, California in 1991, Harrison developed the first LightGuard system as a safety aid for installation at

pedestrian crossing A pedestrian crossing (or crosswalk in American English) is a place designated for pedestrians to cross a road, street or avenue. The term "pedestrian crossing" is also used in the Vienna and Geneva Conventions, both of which pertain to road sig ...

s and started LightGuard Systems to produce them. A

commercial pilot A commercial pilot licence (CPL) is a type of pilot licence that permits the holder to act as a pilot of an aircraft and be paid for their work. Different licenses are issued for the major aircraft categories: airplanes, airships, balloons, glid ...

, Harrison was inspired by the flashing lights used as runway beacon lights. He applied this principle for crosswalk visibility and founded LightGuard Systems to produce and install systems based on the technology he developed.

Lighted Crosswalk System

“The experimental ‘Crosswalk Warning System’, also known as the ‘LightGuard System’ or the ‘Santa Rosa Lights’ consists of warning lights housed in a unit which is installed on the pavement adjacent to a marked crosswalk. The lights reflect out toward the oncoming traffic to warn drivers of a pedestrian’s presence.”

Developed with an

, the LightGuard system includes flashing lights and other visual cues to influence driver behavior near pedestrian crossings. Systems may be manually operated or activated automatically through electronic sensors. LightGuard’s Smart Crosswalk and other Embedded pavement flashing-light systems can be powered from the electrical grid or by on-site solar power sources.

Safety

Reports cite that studies conducted at specific locations where no traffic signal was present have shown lighted crosswalk systems like those produced by LightGuard and other manufacturers increased driver awareness of crosswalks, increasing pedestrian safety. One study calculated an increase in driver awareness of 20-95%.

Installations

LightGuard has installed its eponymous system in locations throughout the US, including at the

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and others at San Francisco City Hall, as well as sites in Mexico.

Location

The company has offices in

Sonoma County, California Sonoma County () is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 488,863. Its county seat and largest city is Santa Rosa, California, Santa Rosa. It is to the n ...

References

{{Reflist, 2 Pedestrian safety Road traffic management