Robert Vaughan of Harlow, Essex, has a simple but useful idea for making
roads and motorways safer (GB 2 344 146): make crash barriers glitter like
jewels. The metal barriers can be hard to see in poor conditions, especially
where the road curves and there is no lighting. The solution, he suggests, is to
modify the bolts that hold the barriers in place. The head of each bolt is
fitted with a cap studded with glass beads—like cheap jewellery. The
bevelled faces of the fake jewels reflect light in all directions, making the
barriers glitter in cars’ headlights.
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