Road safety in 36 characters

Variable message panels provide the means of informing drivers about incidents on the road. In Spain, there are currently 2,412 such devices installed on the road network, corresponding to the eight DGT Traffic Management Centres (Madrid, Valencia, Malaga, Seville, Zaragoza, Valladolid, A Coruña and the Balearic Islands).
The method of displaying information uses one or two pictograms and 36 characters, advising drivers of accidents, a blockage, traffic queues, weather and fire risks, and even recently advising of the need to wear a mask. During 2019, more than 1.3 million messages were posted on the variable message panels by the DGT.
Variable message panels have evolved based on technological advances. For example, they are now low consumption and communicate by fiber optics, 3G and 4G, so they are more efficient from the energy point of view and have greater versatility.
In a few months, DGT 3.0 will be operational, the connected vehicle platform that offers direct information to drivers, providing personal, real-time traffic information. But, until that almost science-fiction goal is fully achieved, variable message panels “will continue to be necessary” to keep drivers informed during their trips, says Ana Blanco, Deputy Director of Traffic.
At strategic points
As the person in charge of mobility at the DGT, Ana Blanco, explains that the main objective of the variable message panels is “the regulation of traffic” and, therefore, they all have a “strategic location”.
Thus, they are placed near exits and / or entrances to high-capacity roads, in areas with reversible lanes or in the opposite direction, in the BUS-HOV lane (High Occupancy Vehicles) and before a major fork.
Notices for a pandemic
The exceptional ties we entered a few months ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic was also reflected in the information provided by the panels, firstly advising everyone to stay home due to the State of Alarm, then information on essential services for those that continued to work.
When the de-escalation began, the panels reported on the phase in which each zone was and what measures were being adopted and reminded us that only justified movements were allowed.
Mobile panels
In 2019, other types of panels also began to be used, mobile versions, which offer more functionality because, when carried on a trailer, they can even be located on secondary and conventional roads.
Mainly, they are used to support traffic controls or warn of sports events (a bicycle race, for example). As with the fixed versions, the mobile units also depend on Traffic Management Centres, each of which has four or five units.