'Let me merge': LED message board for cars lets you communicate with surrounding drivers

LOS ANGELES - Ever wished you could explain to the driver you just accidentally cut off that you didn’t mean any harm? It might soon be possible, thanks to an innovation by a Philadelphia company aimed at quelling road rage and preventing misunderstandings between motorists. 

Marketing company MOD launched a Kickstarter campaign in hopes of making their product, an LED message board that displays simple messages and symbols that can be seen by surrounding drivers, a reality.

The company thinks this device, called “Roadwayve,” can help make roads safer by creating dialogue between drivers. 

The CEO of MOD, John Stanley, said in a press release that communication on the road is inadequate and impersonalized. “We want RoadWayve to become a source of prevention, allowing drivers and passengers to feel more safe and in control.”

“Drivers are limited to communication with hand gestures, negative language or aggressive driving. Roadwayve is going to change that,” the company said on its website. 

And statistics suggest that the company might have a point.  A 2014 study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that 78 percent of those surveyed engaged in aggressive driving behavior.  

With a bright, “pixel dense” LED message board, MOD says RoadWayve can help drivers communicate better and avoid “road rage” with symbols and simple phrases. 

The device produces high-resolution messages, visible to other drivers up to 50 feet away, and can be seen through most weather conditions. 

Messages are generated through a Bluetooth-enabled app you can download on your phone or a remote control called the “Wayvemote” which is pre-programmed with six messages with a touch of a button. You can attach the remote anywhere in your car with a magnetic mount. 

You can charge it using a micro-USB cable that plugs into your car just like you would charge your phone.

The messages include common driving phrases like “I’m sorry,” “thank you,” “turn off high beams,” let me merge” and “go around me.” There’s even an option to customize your own messages. 

RoadWayve is currently available for preorder on Kickstarter for $99.