Nowadays, even top-spec variants of affordable cars come with Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) in India, and most of these ADAS systems come with road sign/traffic sign recognition systems as standard.
This road sign recognition system that is part of the ADAS uses a front-mounted camera to detect road signs and prompt the driver. However, this system will only detect road signs that are in good condition.
Speaking about good condition, not all parts of India have well-maintained road signs. This is likely to cause issues for cars equipped with ADAS as they partially rely on road sign recognition system to make sure the driver does not break traffic rules.
This is especially true during monsoon season when traffic signs sometimes are covered in thick vegetation. This makes it very difficult for the onboard road sign recognition system in cars equipped with ADAS to recognise the traffic sign.
In addition to that, some road signs in India are mounted low and this sometimes gets covered by the traffic in front. As a result, the traffic sign gets hidden away from the road sign recognition system in the car.
Recently, the Kerala Motor Vehicle Department (Kerala MVD) installed 726 AI cameras across the state to monitor and fine traffic violators. However, these AI cameras have been instructed to impose penalties with respect to traffic regulations in that particular area.
For example, if an AI camera is installed on a four-lane highway where the speed limit is set at 60km/h, the AI camera will impose penalties for all vehicles that cross this speed limit. In such cases, if the road sign is not clearly visible, it becomes a major issue.
Also, another issue with traffic signs in India is the lack of it. Newly developing places and remote places barely have any road signs and such a situation can not only create a lot of problems for cars with ADAS, but it can be dangerous to any road user.
Thoughts: As technology is fast growing, we are not very far away from fully autonomous vehicles. In such cases, the government should also ensure that the infrastructure is also ready to welcome the latest technologies.
