Speed Bumps

I saw a CNN article just now about fake speed bumps, the use of ‘optical illusions’ to paint 3D-looking objects on the road to slow people down. People are praising them as great things to get people to slow down.

The problem I see is that they look nothing like speed bumps, but rather like gigantic obstacles in the road. I would probably slam on my brakes and swerve around them.

The people who praised them are also saying that they expect them to result in decreasing the number of pedestrians struck every year. (By getting people to slow down.) I humbly submit that they might just increase the number of pedestrians struck each year, as people swerve suddenly to miss the gigantic box they think is in the road, not taking the time to notice that they’re swerving into a pedestrian.

My problem isn’t necessarily with slowing people down, and I think fake speed bumps might be a good idea: if they looked like speed bumps. (Although after getting tricked the first time, I probably wouldn’t slow down on subsequent trips over them, greatly reducing their effectiveness in the long-run.) So fake speed bumps? Not a bad idea. Fake giant things in the road? An awful idea, even though people seem to be singing their praises right now.

One thought on “Speed Bumps

  1. I totally agree with you there Matt. They DO look like giant blocks and not like speed bumps at all. If I suddenly found myself coming towards one I would weave around them!

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