Traffic safety signs and accident detection alarm systems applied with the Internet of Things (IoT) technology are playing a role as guards in rural villages by “smartly” preventing traffic accidents in agricultural machinery that threaten the lives and safety of rural residents. IoT literally means that objects are connected to the Internet to provide necessary information. A typical service is a service that informs the stop electronic display that the bus will arrive in a few minutes.
Bojeol-myeon, Namwon-si, Jeollabuk-do. This is a small village with a population of about 1,500, but traffic accidents involving large and small agricultural machinery occur an average of twice a year, which cools residents’ talks. In particular, there are two quarries near Yangchon Village, so large dump trucks are frequently operated. In the afternoon of the 18th, when the reporter visited, dump trucks ran every five minutes. The speed limit is 40 kilometers per hour, but it feels like 50 kilometers per hour.
In the event of an accident, the transmission terminal attached to the agricultural machine can send an emergency text message to the registered contact number to check the location of the victim and rescue him.
But at one point, the truck driver sees something, slows down, and looks around. Checking the traffic safety sign for agricultural machinery caught at Goeyang Intersection. The sign shows a notice saying, “The tractor is stopping in front of 100 meters of absolute deceleration.” The information sent by the transmitter terminal of the nearby tractor appeared on the sign in real time. Kim Byung-yeol (66), a resident of Yangchon Village, said, “Thanks to the traffic safety sign of agricultural machinery, not only agricultural machinery drivers like us but also general vehicle drivers will be careful of each other. Fortunately, no traffic accident has occurred yet.”
Agricultural machinery is slower than ordinary vehicles, and there are many cases where brake lights are not visible due to lack of directional indicators or equipment installed in the back. In particular, there are many accidents that occur in rare places, delaying rescue reports and leading to death.
Accordingly, Namwon-si, along with the Rural Development Administration, installed a total of three agricultural machinery traffic safety signs, one each on the main roads of Yangchon Village and Gaesin Village in Bojeol-myeon and Yongjeon Village in Geumji-myeon last year. 50 cultivators and tractors used by residents were provided with transmission terminals. The terminals installed in agricultural machines are equipped with automatic warning lights, emergency emergency bells, tilt alarm notifications, and solar self-generation panels, which are highly satisfying for residents. In particular, in the event of an accident, such as the collapse of an agricultural machine, the location information is immediately notified through the family’s contact information and automatically reported to the emergency agency to enable rapid rescue.
The technology has been developed by the Rural Development Administration since 2019, and is currently being piloted by five cities and counties nationwide, including Namwon and Jecheon, Chungcheongbuk-do, as a “prevention and notification service for traffic accidents in agricultural machinery.” Lee Hye-soo, in charge of Namwon-si Agricultural Technology Center, said, “This project will reduce frequent traffic accidents in agricultural machinery during busy farming or at night,” adding, “If real-time agricultural machinery operation information is linked to car navigation in the future, the accident prevention effect will be higher.”