Officials in West Vancouver, Canada, apparently aren't satisfied with the driver-slowing properties of traditional speed bumps. On Tuesday, the town unveiled a new way to persuade motorists to ease off the gas pedal in the vicinity of the École Pauline Johnson Elementary School: a 2-D image of a child playing, creating the illusion that the approaching driver will soon blast into a child.Let's not even speak of the heart attacks that could be caused when someone thinks they are about to hit a little girl. Or the real pedestrian struck when a driver swerves to avoid the little girl.
What about desensitizing drivers who may not assume seeing a little girl means there is a real little girl?
Well, said the head of the British Columbia Automobile Association Traffic Safety Foundation :
"People tune out. It takes an attitude shift for people to change," Dunne said. "Pedestrians need an attitude shift too. They have to realize that just because they are in a crosswalk doesn't mean they are safe. In fact, most get hit while using crosswalks."
So there you go. You people walking near freaked out drivers need to pay more attention and stay ready to leap out of the way. This is really doing you a favor. Wow.
Adapt or die, pedestrians. Adapt or die.
Still, at least it isn't as bad as the Hot Babe Massacre System that German automotive engineers are developing.
