referring more particularly to fig1 - 10 , wherein like numbers refer to similar parts , a total alert system 20 for improving the safety of vehicle drivers , their passengers , and animals and persons on or near roadways is shown in fig1 . the system uses audible and visible cues to induce instinctive avoidance patterns in animals and humans . as shown in fig1 the system 20 includes a display and control unit 22 mounted in a car or vehicle 24 . the control unit may be mounted for convenience on the vehicle dash 26 . the control and display unit draws power from the car 24 fuse panel 28 . the control unit will preferably draw power from the car radio circuit so as to switch power to the radio off and on . thus , the car radio is under control of the display and control unit 22 ( so as to be switched off in an emergency situation ). the display and control unit 22 has an antenna 30 , shown diagrammatically in fig5 for receiving fm radio signals . the control unit also receives input from a manual switch , such as the floor foot switch 32 shown in fig1 . the display and control unit 22 also receives input from a transducer 34 which is mounted to the vehicle to indicate vehicle speed the transducer may be mounted to the vehicle drive train . alternatively , a feed may be taken directly from vehicles with electronic speed sensors . the display and control unit 22 , as shown in fig5 outputs information to a display 36 , shown pictorially in fig2 - 4 . the display and control unit 22 controls a sound generator and memory unit 38 which in turn drives a speaker 40 and headlight flickerer 42 . the total alert system 20 employs fixed and mobile transmitters which work in cooperation with the display and control unit to increase the overall safety of the traffic system . crystal - controlled radio frequency fm transmitters are associated with particular road hazards . for example , a transmitter 44 of a particular frequency is mounted at a railroad crossing 46 . the transmitter 44 at the railroad crossing 46 is connected to the railroad crossing signal so that when an approaching train activates the signal , the transmitter 44 is also activated . the display and control unit 22 which is mounted in a car 24 which is moving along a roadway 48 in the vicinity of the railroad crossing 46 receives the signal from the transmitter 44 and alerts the driver 50 by illuminating a warning 52 , as shown in fig4 ., that he may be approaching an occupied railroad crossing 46 . the power of the transmitters and the receiving antenna are selected to achieve a radius of approximately 300 yards around each hazard . such a distance is sufficient to allow safe stopping in anticipation of a hazard while not being so large as to prevent spurious warnings to vehicle operators who are not in sufficient proximity to a hazard to merit concern . fig7 shows a typical oscillator circuit which may be employed in a small rf transmitter 44 . the oscillator contains a crystal 54 which governs the frequency of transmission of the rf transmitter 44 . thus , the crystal 54 in a given radio transmitter 44 may be picked so that a given crystal frequency is indicative of a particular road hazard . in this way , the control and display unit can recognize particular road hazards by their characteristic radio frequency . as shown in fig4 the radio transmitter 44 may be associated with caution signs 56 which continuously broadcast a relatively short - range signal , so that as a driver approaches a cautionary sign , the display and control unit 22 may illuminate a yellow caution warning 58 , as shown in fig4 . in addition to fixed transmitters , pedestrians and bicyclists may wear miniaturized transmitters on wristbands , belts , helmets , or packs , which emit a low - power but continuous signal which is detectable by the display and control unit . the transmitter may also be incorporated into a wristwatch for dual function . in addition , transmitters may be fitted to animal collars to provide a warning in the event that pets or livestock equipped with a transmitter collar approach a roadway . preferably the pedestrian and bicyclist transmitters will be provided with a radio receiver to receive signals from the transmitter within each vehicle equipped with the alert system 20 . the receiver may provide the detected signal to an oscillator to emit a beeping sound when a vehicle approaches within a hazardous proximity . the oscillator may be wired to interrupt sound emitted through the headset of a conventional walk - along tape player or receiver . for bicyclists , in addition to a beeping sound , the receiver may activate a light - emitting - diode mounted on the bicyclist &# 39 ; s helmet to be visible as he is looking forward to add visual as well as audible cues to approaching traffic . the control and display unit will preferably be provided with a two - position switch directing the unit to switch between pedestrian alert transmitter signal and a vehicle alert transmitter signal . an emergency vehicle 60 may be equipped with a transmitter which is activated by turning on the vehicle &# 39 ; s flashing lights or by a manual switch on the control unit . thus , with the flashing lights of a police car , emergency road vehicle or maintenance vehicle , a warning is broadcast to the display and control unit 22 in vehicles 24 and the display and control unit 22 displays a red emergency vehicle symbol 62 , as shown in fig4 . the emergency vehicle 60 shown in fig1 as well as all automobiles using the roadway , may employ transmitters 96 which are active whenever the vehicle ignition is turned on . control and display units for emergency vehicles may be identical to those used in passenger vehicles , but will be supplied with a switch between pedestrian alert and emergency vehicle alert , this feature may be achieved by substituting an &# 34 ; emergency vehicle &# 34 ; type crystal for the &# 34 ; vehicle alert &# 34 ; crystal of a common unit . vehicles equipped with the murcibe ™ system 20 will have a radio transmitter 96 as shown in fig5 . thus a disabled or stranded vehicle under any conditions , but particularly in foggy conditions , on hilly or curvy roads , where it is not possible to see ahead on the road , or under other hazardous driving conditions , the transmitter 96 may be activated to light an indicator light 64 on the display of another murcibe equipped vehicle to communicate to the driver 50 of the other vehicle via the display 36 the presence of a disabled vehicle . further , the rf transmitters 96 employed on cars can be designed to broadcast with more power and at a different frequency when the vehicle hazard lights have been engaged , thus indicating to vehicles in the vicinity through , for example , a pink distressed vehicle symbol 64 , shown in fig4 . the total driver alert system 20 not only warns the driver 50 of a vehicle 24 or road hazard in its vicinity , but also controls and activates a sound and light system which warns bicyclists 66 , pedestrians 68 and deer 70 of the approach of the vehicle 24 . the sound and light system takes advantages of the natural sensitivity of animals to certain sounds , and sounds which are connected with lights . by appealing to the animals natural behavior patterns , instinctive avoidance activities are induced . prior art alert systems which relied on unusual or unnatural sounds , typically have the effect of startling or confusing an animal . the signals of the present invention are natural , and hence result in an unthinking , instinctual response . the approach warning system has two components , a sound generation component 38 and a light flickerer 42 . prior art warning systems have attempted to use ultrasonic sound to scare off deer and so reduce the possibility of vehicle collision with a deer . these systems have not been proven effective . the total alert system 20 utilizes natural sounds in the audible frequencies 16 to 20 , 000 hz . more particularly , the system utilizes sounds which actually occur in nature . instead of a simple tone or warbling siren sound , which can induce panic in an animal , pedestrian or bicyclist , causing them to veer into the path of the oncoming vehicle 24 , the total alert system 20 utilizes a sound generator which produces natural sounds . the sounds are stored in a memory 72 , which is shown schematically in fig6 as an eprom ( erasable programmable read - only memory ). alternatively , other appropriate integrated circuits ( ic &# 39 ; s ) may be employed . the eprom is used to store natural sounds such as clicks , snaps , cracks , pops , crunches , ticks , clacks , zaps or the like . the eprom is a conventional electronic device which can also be used to store the sound of sirens , beeps and even voice messages . a series of dip switches 74 , indicated schematically in fig6 can be used to select the sound or sounds which are broadcast over the speakers 40 . preferably , each dip switch will have three settings : a higher - pitched sound , off , and a lower pitched sound . the dip switches may be configured to produce variable sound patterns and intervals which periodically may be reprogrammed to prevent deer and other animals from growing accustomed or &# 34 ; immune &# 34 ; to the alerting signal . an informational pamphlet , containing suggested settings may be supplied with the apparatus to prove a more user - friendly system . an override switch may be provided when alternate sounds are desired . in this way , for instance , when an ordinary vehicle is being used temporarily as an emergency vehicle , for example , to transport someone to the hospital , a siren sound may be projected through the speakers 40 . for use in alerting deer and other animals , including birds and large and small mammals , natural sounds are particularly effective , as they trigger the deer or other animal &# 39 ; s natural instincts , causing it to flee the vicinity of the noise . these natural sounds do not induce panic , but rather a natural avoidance instinct . one way of attaining such natural sounds for use in the total alert system 20 is to record the walking of a person or animal in the woods or fields . the sounds so recorded may then be loaded onto a computer for isolating the individual sounds corresponding to clicks , snaps , cracks , pops , etc . once the sounds are isolated , they can be filtered , digitized and then downloaded to the eproms 72 , which are installed in the sound generation memory unit 38 of the total alert system 20 . it may also be possible to conserve eprom memory by finding a mathematical function which nearly simulates a particular natural sound and utilizing the stored formula to generate a recurring wave form which in turn may be used to feed the audio amplifier 76 , which drives the speakers 40 . in addition to the sound generator 38 , the lights of the vehicle may be flicked momentarily and repeatedly , to create a high frequency flickering effect , which in coordination with the sound , would reduce the likelihood that a deer or other animal will fixate on the oncoming lights . this facilitates the deer &# 39 ; s natural response to the broadcast sounds . alternatively , as shown in fig8 and 9 , a strobe light 200 may be mounted on a holder 201 within the speaker 40 mounted to the front of the vehicle 24 . the strobe light 200 is supplied with power by a 12 volt line from the car battery . the strobe light 200 may be triggered directly by the controller , or may be triggered by a signal to the speaker 40 . thus the strobe light will flick on at the onset of each burst of sound from the speaker . the flickering strobe light will thus flicker in synchronization with the sounds , preventing an animal from fixating on the vehicle &# 39 ; s lights . as shown in fig9 the strobe light is connected by a short wire to the speaker , allowing a user to optionally mount the strobe light to a position remote from the speaker , for example in proximity to the headlamp 42 . of course , not all pedestrian and bicyclists will necessarily be equipped with transmitters . it is unlikely , though not inconceivable , that deer will be equipped with transmitters . in order to respond to this real world situation , the control and display unit 36 has three modes shown by indicators : stand - by mode 78 , auto mode 80 and manual mode 82 . the display and control unit 22 is connected to the car power system 28 through the car radio breaker or fuse , and is activated as indicated by on - light 85 whenever the car ignition is on . a special fuse may be inserted in the vehicle fuse box , and the radio fused within the control unit , or in the line to the control unit . the display and control unit 22 normally assumes the stand - by condition . in the stand - by condition , the control and display unit 22 receives warnings from radio transmitters 44 mounted in association with road hazards , emergency vehicles , stranded vehicles , cars , bicyclists , etc . when a road hazard is detected by means of the broadcast signal from the radio transmitter 44 , and indicates a situation where a warning should be given , the display and control unit 22 activates the sound generation unit 38 and broadcasts and flicks the headlights as appropriate . the vehicle has a foot switch which may be depressed to put the display and control unit 22 into the manual mode as shown by the manual mode indicator 82 . in the manual mode , the control and display unit 22 drives the sound generator , broadcasting sounds and flickering the lights as appropriate . when the manual foot pedal 32 is released , the display and control unit 22 returns to the stand - by or automatic modes . the display and control unit 22 receives information form a transducer 34 which indicates vehicle speed . when the vehicle speed exceeds thirty - five miles an hour , the display and control unit 22 switches over to automatic . this causes a continual broadcast of audible sounds , thus warning deer , other animals and pedestrians of the vehicle &# 39 ; s approach . the display and control unit 22 , best shown in fig2 may be mounted to a vehicle dash by resilient feet 84 which may have adhesive on their lower surfaces . the display and control unit 22 may also be mounted by a bracket ( not shown ) which clips or screws to the dash . the display 36 is conveniently mounted on pivot arms 86 which are joined by pivot 87 and connect to a body - mounted pivot 88 and a display mounted pivot 90 . this allows the positioning of the display for optimal visibility by the driver . in a preferred embodiment the display 36 will include a number of pictographic warning symbols 92 , as shown in fig4 . the alert symbols have an easily remembered and distinctive color to facilitate quick recognition by the driver . for example a white display indicating the presence of a pedestrian ; a red display 62 indicating the presence of an emergency vehicle ; a green display indicating the presence of a crossing zone ; an orange display 52 indicating the presence of a railroad crossing ; a pink display 64 indicating the presence of a disabled vehicle ; a purple display indicating hazardous road conditions ; and a yellow display 58 indicating that caution is called for . as shown in fig3 when the individual warnings are off , the front of the display may conveniently have a trademark symbol , for example &# 34 ; murcibe ,&# 34 ; composed of frosted letters on the front of the display . behind the individual frosted letters are the pictographic symbols 92 . these are backed by a light - emitting diode or electro - luminescent lights of various colors . these , when illuminated , render the trademark symbol invisible . thus , the trademark 94 is plainly visible when a driver enters a vehicle 22 , which alerts and informs the driver of the type of alert system installed in the vehicle , yet this trademark does not interfere with the visibility or readability of the warning icons when they are illuminated . the control unit 22 may be provided with a photodetector , not shown , which detects the high light levels of daytime driving conditions and increases the light output of the display to ensure visibility . when the photodetector detects a low level of ambient light within the vehicle , the intensity of the display may be reduced to prevent eyestrain or distracting light intensity . a power adapter may be utilized to turn down or off the radio or other players , such as tape players and cds , when a caution signal is received by the display and control unit 22 . further , the user - friendliness of the total alert system 20 is facilitated by the simplicity of installing the display and control unit 22 by connecting it through a blade - type fuse adapter so as to draw power off the fuse box as required . it should be understood that the transmitting units 44 may consist of a crystal and a hc - 18u holder , with frequency modulation or fm radio signals utilizing different frequencies for different uses or transmission of various alerts , or to let the driver know of different circumstances he needs to be aware of . it should also be understood that other types of transmitters , for instance am , could be used , and that the type of hazard could be signalled by a digital word which would be indicative of a particular hazard rather than utilizing the frequency of the transmitter to indicate the type of hazard . it should also be understood that although the display and control unit 22 is shown in fig4 with a particular array of icons , other icons with various color codings could be used . in addition , a liquid crystal matrix display could be used to display an infinite variety of warning symbols as well as written messages . it should be understood that the lights will preferably be flicked at the exact moment the sound is emitted from the emitting speakers . the reason for this is to relate the sight and sound , thus alerting the animals that something is coming . one way of doing this is to vary the voltage in the light bulb , thereby meeting state requirements , so that the bulb will not be shut off , nor should the momentary flickering distract other users or drivers . however , the flickering will allow deer to realize that something is coming by sight , and by noticing the flickering of the bulb and by the sound of the sound warning system . an exemplary speaker 40 for use with the warning system 22 would be a weather - proof speaker approximately three inches in diameter and small enough to fit between the radiator and the grill of almost any vehicle . an accessory for the warning system 22 is an alert direction indicator 206 , shown schematically in fig1 . in certain circumstances , particularly within urban areas , an automobile may be within range of a number of general hazards , such as pedestrians , stalled vehicles , emergency vehicles , and railway crossings , which are not an immediate hazard to the driver . by supplying a direction indicator 206 , a driver may exercise a lowered level of caution with respect to hazards which are not in his immediate path . the direction indicator 206 includes a radio direction finder which detects in a conventional manner the direction of greatest intensity of radio broadcasts emitted by the hazard , from which the direction of the hazard may be deduced . the direction information is transmitted to the controller 22 which controls a direction display 204 which may consist of led indicators to show whether the radio transmission is coming from in front of the vehicle , behind the vehicle , or to the left or the right . alternatively a liquid crystal matrix display may generate a compass face signal indicating the direction of origin of the signal . the display and control unit is preferably provided with a small internal speaker to generate warning tones to accompany the visual displays . however , in an alternative embodiment the display and control unit may be provided with a conventional voice modulator or integrated circuits and programming to enable the control unit to audibly pronounce the various warnings carried on the display , for example , &# 34 ; caution , pedestrian .&# 34 ;. it should also be understood that although the sensor to detect vehicle speed 34 is shown in fig1 to be a wheel mounted transducer which detects the rate of wheel rotation , the transducer could measure wind speed or have a pick - up which receives the speedometer reading from the vehicle computer . calibration of a wind speed or other types of sensor could be accomplished by driving the vehicle at the desired speed for initiating automatic functioning of the display and control unit 22 and pushing a set button ( not shown ) which would cause the sensor output to be remembered as the initiating speed for the transition from stand - by to automatic function . it should be understood that the dip switches may be set to use specific pre - programmed sounds which are particularly effective in a user &# 39 ; s area and which pertain to a particular animal ( deer , bear , turkey , etc .) the driver wishes to alert to his presence . as those who often drive rural highways know , the migration of various animals tends to be seasonally dependent . thus , the programming of the alert system 20 may be varied readily to adjust to this seasonal abundance of wild animals . it should be understood that the transmitters may be varied in distance , some transmitters being equipped with more power and a larger antenna for transmission at greater distances , or others being composed of the same parts may be allowed to transmit a shorter distance , such as two - hundred yards by limiting power or antenna size . the sound emitter can be programmed to amplify the sound for specific needs , such as for trucks or vehicles with loud road noises . it should also be understood that the display and control unit 22 may optionally be used to prevent vehicle theft by incorporating a user code which must be transmitted or entered into the display and control unit 22 when the vehicle is entered . if this unique code is not transmitted or entered into the display unity , a separate alert system transmitter can transmit a signal which will read &# 34 ; stolen vehicle &# 34 ; on an optional display cube attached to the displays of murcibe units in police cars and other equipped vehicles . the result is that all cars equipped with the total alert system 20 would be alerted to the presence of a vehicle that is stolen . this , in combination with the fact that many cars today are equipped with mobile phones , could result in speedy , almost instantaneous apprehension of vehicles which are stolen . it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular construction and arrangement of parts herein illustrated and described , but embraces such modified forms thereof as come within the scope of the following claims .