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Incursion Detection for Road Worker Safety

Improving safety for road workers with rapid, wide-area detection of vehicle incursions

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Fully automated detection in all weather and light conditions.

The challenge

The safety of road workers depends on drivers correctly following traffic restrictions where there are road closures. A vehicle entering a traffic management area is a serious incident. Recently, Highways England revealed there were nearly 6,500 incidents of incursions between October 2017 and October 2020 – an average of 175 a month. One way to help reduce this risk is to deploy solutions that detect and alert road workers in the event of a vehicle incursion.

Current solutions alerting road workers to vehicle incursions do not typically provide coverage of the whole traffic management area. We are looking to develop a rapid, fully automated, wide-area incursion detection solution. It is based on the ClearWay ITS radar sensor and technology, proven to work in safety critical applications, all over the world.

How will it work?

The solution will provide road workers with advance warning of vehicle incursions, so they can take appropriate action. Navtech Radar's ClearWay sensor can be simply installed by connecting it to the roadside fibre network or mounted on a mobile unit. The high-definition radar can rapidly detect incursions, in all conditions.

The solution is fully automated and can be integrated with current warning systems to immediately alert team members that a vehicle is within the traffic management area. Reports can be generated following an incident to identify the underlying reason for an incursion. 

Full coverage of the stretch of roadworks can be achieved with a minimum of sensors: only two to three radar sensors are required per kilometre. Temporary stranded vehicle detection can also be deployed alongside incursion detection, with limited additional infrastructure offering a significant advancement in safety throughout your roadworks.

  • Rapid, advanced warning of vehicle incursions
  • Operates in all light and weather conditions
  • Wide area coverage of your whole scheme
  • Fully automated system
  • Improve the safety of your scheme over time
  • Cost-effective implementation

Expected technical performance

The new application uses our patented ClearWay 360°, high-definition radar sensor and technology. It automatically detects vehicle incursions across the entire road closure area. We would work with you to integrate with your current warning systems, such as audible alarms , rotating visual alarms and vibrating jackets. Our market-leading ClearWay technology is proven to work on road networks across the world, including on the E4 motorway in Sweden, where they face extreme road conditions in the winter months. One sensor can cover a distance of up to 500m in all directions.

  • Automatically detects incursions in all conditions
  • High-definition radar sensor for accurate detection
  • 360°, long-range coverage
  • Reports incident data to improve the safety of your roadworks
  • Integrates with your current warning systems
Incursion Detection for Road Worker Safety

ClearWay detecting in conditions of low light.


About ClearWay

An intelligent transport systems solution, ClearWay provides continuous, real-time industry-leading accuracy and low false-alarm rates. Proven to work in the most demanding situations and conditions all over the world, we provide continuous monitoring of all activities on the highway.


"This solution is being developed following recent customer enquiries asking if the rapid detection in our proven ClearWay solution could be applied to improve the safety of road workers.

Vehicle incursions into road closures put construction and maintenance workers at risk, so offering comprehensive, fully automated detection across the entirety of the roadworks is a solution we are keen to offer.


We welcome anyone with an interest in this application to get in touch to discuss the opportunity to trial this product."

ITS Product Manager, Navtech Radar

We are now looking for early adopters to work with us to carry out proof of concept trials for this solution.

As an early adopter of this technology, you will have the opportunity to influence the development of the solution for your application, prior to its formal launch. With experienced software, research and development, and commissioning teams at Navtech Radar, you can be assured we will work with you to meet your requirements.


Contact us to discuss the opportunity to trial this new technology

Article first published: 12/07/2021

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