When people say the word “laser”, you probably think of eyes, hair removal, exciting museum robbery scenes and Star Wars.

But from now on – be prepared to also think of road traffic-flow improvements. 

A new type of high-tech laser is going to be used by investigating officers to help them take key measurements of crash sites quickly and get vehicles moving again. 

At the moment when a road needs to be closed after an accident, officers need to painstakingly go about with a tape-measure so that later they can better determine the cause of the crash and, potentially, who is liable. 

However, these new lasers, which sit on top of a tripod and cost about £250,000 each, will hopefully speed up the process and will lead to a better traffic flow across the UK. 

The British Roads Minister stated, “There is nothing more frustrating than being stuck in a traffic jam for hours on end.

“But even worse than that is the shocking £1billion cost of those lost hours for our economy. That is why we are determined to improve clear-up times following accidents so we can get our motorways re-opened as quickly as possible.

“Motorway closures in England cost the economy around a staggering £1 billion a year. That is an unacceptable brake on the country's economic recovery and must be reduced.”

Anything that makes going from point A to point B smoother, we like.

Labels: accident, crash, motorway, road traffic, traffic jam, vehicle