Optical Speedbumps Create Illusion of Little Girl 9
An anonymous reader writes "Civil authorities around the world have tried all kinds of tricks to get drivers to slow down: speed bumps, rumble strips, flashing lights, the decoy police cruiser, and of course the good old-fashioned speed trap. The British Columbia Automobile Association Traffic Safety Foundation is taking a different tack: scaring the living hell out of drivers. In an effort to brusquely remind drivers of the consequences of wanton acceleration, they're painting an elongated image of a child chasing a ball into the street in 2-D on the pavement in such a way that it appears three-dimensional."
Wrecks (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
And worse, what happens when people get used to seeing it and start ignoring it? Then not only is it not making people slow down, it's a potential for making them disregard a real child in the road.
That's the first thing I thought when I heard about this on the radio this morning. I'm quite disappointed to see this story hidden in idle.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
They aren't "causing" wrecks. If you cannot avoid an obstacle and react to it without swerving off the road you need more training.
I do agree with your remark on "getting used to it".
Re: (Score:2)
It depends on how the do it. If they display the little girl right in front of you, I'd wager that 8/10 drivers would quickly find themselves in an unsafe situation. If it's a little ways up ahead and it's more of a reminder that you should be careful then it might drop to 2-3/10.
Re: (Score:1)
Why? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I've never seen anyone ignore one of those on purpose...
I have, and the crunching noise a low spoiler makes is extremely satisfying.
Forced Perspective (Score:2)
Some not for evil [impactlab.net] examples.