Honk, honk

After the network of sirens that were intended to alert people to floods, fires, chemical accidents or even nuclear attacks were dismantled at the end of the Cold War, most countries have been left without a large-scale alarm system.

But scientists at Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Technological Trend Analysis INT are developing a system that would let authorities set off car horns to inform people of an approaching danger. After being made aware of the potential threat, people could turn to the media for details, researchers said.

A patent application submitted by the researchers details technology that would make it possible for public safety officials to activate car horns, even if the vehicles are off. The system is based on the eCall emergency system, which is scheduled to be installed in several European countries in late 2010.

Originally intended to reduce the number of traffic fatalities, the eCall system informs emergency services about the location of an automobile accident using a mobile phone component and GPS sensor.

Basics already in place

INT researchers found that the infrastructure can also be used to warn the population if a radio receiver were added to the system.

"The effort is restricted to the integration of a small electronic module into new vehicles," Dr. Guido Huppertz from the INT's Technology Analyses and Forecasts (TAV) department said in a statement. "As far as the authorities are concerned, the necessary infrastructure is already available."

While Cold War-era sirens have been dismantled, a satellite-based alert system was put in place across Europe to inform people of possible disasters via radio and television. More recent systems have also tried to send alerts to mobile phones. Both systems, however, do not work if the electronic devices are off.

INT researchers say car horns, which can be set off using the vehicle's battery, would be more effective than either of the existing technologies.

"All hitherto suggested solutions such as mobile phones or smoke detectors only inform the respective device user," Huppertz said. "The entire population can only be informed if 100 percent are equipped with these devices."

About 14 percent of the registered vehicles would be enough to provide extensive alarm coverage, Huppertz added.

"If all new vehicles are equipped with eCall from the end of next year, the warning system may be ready for use after an establishment phase of two to four years," he said.

Author: Sean Sinico

Editor: Kate Bowen