Ionization technology aims to reduce fog-related vehicle accidents

It’s spooky season; the time of ghosts, witches, pumpkins and … ever-so-eerie fog. Fall brings peak fog-forming weather as temperatures shift, and the Federal Highway Administration estimates that fog causes more than 38,000 crashes and more than 600 deaths each year.

As California approaches the November anniversary of a 2007 108-vehicle pileup that included 18 big rigs along State Route 99 just south of Fresno, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) have partnered with a company to test its fog mitigation technology at the Caltrans Dynamic Test Facility (CDTF) at the CHP Academy in West Sacramento.

"The California Highway Patrol is committed to exploring innovative technologies that have the potential to make California's roadways safer," said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. "Fog and other low-visibility conditions can create serious hazards for motorists. Testing emerging technology in a controlled environment allows us to evaluate its potential to improve roadway safety."

This partnership gives Rain Enhancement Technologies (RET) access to the testing facility to pilot its FREA (Fog Removal by Electrical Activity) system, which is an extension of the work the company has already been doing with its WETA (Weather Enhancement Technology Array) platform.

This story was originally published by CCJ. Read the full story at CCJ →