I have a theory, let's see what you guys think. The higher the speed limit on a road, the longer and more spread out the dotted lines are in the road. That way, when you go faster, you don't really FEEL like you're going that fast. I think that if they shorten the lines' length and distance that fewer people will go so fast. I'd rather have them raise the speed limits, but this might work, too.-- AfroAssault, Apr 07 2001 (?) I've got ~208,726 words for you... ftp://ibiblio.org/p...etext01/8crmp10.txt...not including header information, footnotes, etc., of course. (for [SC]) [jester, Apr 05 2002, last modified Oct 21 2004] Huh?-- oobersteph, Apr 07 2001 Not wide of the mark. That's true about perception and its effect on driver -say...without cruise control. Might me useful to have different line lengths/spacing in different speed zones. This might be a deterrent against speeding in its own psychosomatic way.-- thumbwax, Apr 07 2001 oober, let me explain. The long white or yellow dashes in the middle of the road that you drive next to become longer and more spread out on roads with higher speed limits, giving the illusion that you aren't going as fast and in more control. Shorten them out and you'll feel like you're going faster.-- AfroAssault, Apr 07 2001 Also, adjust the spacing of the telephone poles, and the width of the buildings...-- egnor, Apr 07 2001 and the smart-assed egnor comments-- AfroAssault, Apr 07 2001 You're completely right Afro.
I know in Canada the freeway lines have long lines, but all the merge lines are short dashes.
As well, check any NASCAR tracks that have lane markers. They're incredibly long.-- Wes, Apr 08 2001 Makes sense to me. If you want people to go even slower, break up the road surface some (brick paved crosswalks, etc).-- PotatoStew, Apr 08 2001 (A Ford Escort will go 100mph on a dirt firebreak?)-- egnor, Apr 08 2001 A Ford Escort will go 100mph?-- StarChaser, Apr 08 2001 I understand the tree and telephone pole stuff, but I'm mostly talking about freeways where that type of stuff isn't always right next to you. You'd notice the lines first. Besides, I never said this was a completely flawless solution.-- AfroAssault, Apr 08 2001 i say we continually vary the lengths of the dashes, just to mess with people's minds.-- nick_n_uit, Apr 08 2001 Rather than drive faster, you could merely drive a shorter distance so then the illusion would be that you had travelled faster... But then you'd have to maintain the illusion that you were actually where you wanted to be as well.-- lubbit, Apr 08 2001 drive with view lower to the ground-- technobadger, Apr 09 2001 periscope @bumper/fender level?-- edski, Apr 09 2001 ...patiently waiting to vote...
Where's the explosion?-- iuvare, Apr 10 2001 okay, then, how about random lines have land mines (hey that rhymes! So did that!) that blow up the car AND Regis Philbin?-- AfroAssault, Apr 11 2001 I understand now. Maybe the governments of the world could somehow fit filters into every single car window that blur the views and make it look as if you're going faster still...-- oobersteph, Apr 11 2001 . . . and how about having air vents automatically increase air flow, and to have seats recline ever so slightly with each additional KPH/MPH . . .-- wasraw, Apr 11 2001 and lines that shoot past like when they warp in "Star Wars." Wait, I'm making fun of myself...-- AfroAssault, Apr 12 2001 An old issue of Popular Science predicted "120-mph highways" in the gosh-wow 21st century -- 70 mph in the entry lane, "moderate" 85- and 100-mph lanes, and 120-mph for (presumably) those who could afford the gas. Cars would have huge taillights mounted on the roof to warn of braking -- though at 120 mph they'd look like red bullets coming at you down a blurry tunnel. I'd rather not provide the comforting illusion of a slower speed, or of greater control (most drivers are less in control than they think anyway). Imagine a roadful, bumper-to-bumper at 125 (hey, just pushin' it a bit), yelling at their stockbrokers over their cellphones, and a tire bursts from the standing wave in its sidewall or somebody has a heart attack: Presto! Instant junkyard. "Film at eleven..."-- whatsbruin, Sep 04 2001 (In the US) Change speedometers and speed limit signs from MPH to KPH. 90 KPH provides the perception of going faster than 55 MPH.-- phoenix, Sep 04 2001 But only stupid people will be impressed. Kind of like setting a clock ten minutes fast so you think you're late. Only people who have the memory that 'I set this clock ahead ten minutes' pushed out of their neuron will be surprised by the time...-- StarChaser, Sep 08 2001 How about painting blurry scenery on the sound deflecting walls that run parallel to freeways in many urban areas?-- Needles, Sep 09 2001 Permanent motion blur. Hah.-- bristolz, Dec 15 2001 [StarChaser] isn't that who we're playing to?-- phoenix, Dec 15 2001 I once managed to scare myself with a Canadian minivan...I looked down and was doing 100! Aaaack!...but then, why is everyone else passing me?
Didn't realize that it was Canadian, then, and that it had a KMH/mph speedo, instead of MPH/kph...-- StarChaser, Dec 15 2001 This is a good idea, and I believe that the general basis could apply to other things as well, such as animaed computer process graphics (on windows file transfers there is the paper going into the folder, and there is that 3D puzzle thing on the disk defragmenter, etc.). I know that I, for one, always feel like my computer is going much faster if that icon is going faster. Such things would cut down on frustration at long processes like this.-- NeverDie, Dec 15 2001 I do believe this idea has some basis. I think it would work for a while, but people would get used to how the markings on the road are placed, just as we have grown used to the ones now. Also, if I knew this change took place -- I would no longer pay attention to the lines, instead I would watch my spedometer. Although a good idea, I don't think it would be worth the money it would take to re-do all the roads. Of course this is just my opinion, please don't throw stones.-- jimithing, Dec 16 2001 sometimes UB I wonder how it is that you are still in the land of the living. Afro's world tends to look like Toy Town on a Sunday afternoon-- po, Dec 16 2001 Also four months late - sorta baked a little bit on many UK motorway off-ramps. There are yellow lines painted across the road which get closer together as one approaches the junction.<off-topic>Re [Star]'s Canadian minivan: my wife was driving my Rover SD1 one time and thought it seemed a bit quick, although the speedo said she was doing the regulation 30 mph in town. A closer look revealed that she was checking the tachometer which read 3,000 rpm (= about 50mph).</off-topic>-- angel, Dec 17 2001 Did that once too. I forget what the car was, but there were two big meters, both labeled '10 20 30...'...I was trying to figure out why the darn thing wouldn't get past 50...-- StarChaser, Dec 17 2001 You could do it like we do in Britain. Regularly dig up the roads then re surface (poorly). Hey presto, instant loose fillings.
For added humor, the TVR Tamora has a speedo graduated 1, 2, 3, ... instead of 10, 20, 30,... but it might be a bit obvious.-- Citizen Rat, Dec 18 2001 //Regularly dig up the roads then re surface (poorly). Hey presto, instant loose fillings.// Or do what we do here. Dig up the roads then pay people to drink coffee and stare blankly at it for a few months, then fill in the holes with a mixture of tar, dirt clods, and Jimmy Hoffa.-- AfroAssault, Dec 18 2001 "Faster" roads or "fast" roads should have strict enforcement measures to stop people eating their lunches while driving. Perhaps really big potholes every time they go for a sip of Coke.-- pottedstu, Dec 19 2001 . . . Almost rivals the number of guys I've seen shaving while driving or eating corn on the cob (true! I've seen that twice in the last year).-- bristolz, Dec 28 2001 [blissmiss] Your powers of mental arithmetic are astonishing.-- cp, Jan 01 2002 I want it all, and a little bit more
I like it when they pave it nicely, and a month later decide to install cable or pipes down the center and fail to patch it correctly.-- adroitt, Mar 07 2002 I'm really tired of the 'two words' thing.
Mountain bikes wouldn't do much for me, as I live 30 miles away from work, and don't really want to spend all day wearing sweaty clothes, and then after ten hours of work, want to bike home on the interstate at 11pm.-- StarChaser, Mar 07 2002 Well then, three words: Motorized mountain bikes-- bristolz, Mar 08 2002 The point was, although not adequately explained, that ANY version of 'x words' is annoying.
If you're going to ride a motorized bike anyway, why not a motorcycle?-- StarChaser, Mar 08 2002 why not a moped? That's only one word-- impish_delight, Apr 05 2002 [SC]: see link. :)-- jester, Apr 05 2002 how about having a sharp spike that slowly extends from the steering wheel with speed. This should give a fairly sharp reminder of the speed/risk ratio.-- mymus, Apr 05 2002 mymus - "Steering wheel spike" as a half-baked idea is already here somewhere.-- waugsqueke, Apr 05 2002 whatsbruin: really, do you think highways in the US would get a 120mph speed limit before the safety and quality of the cars could handle it? That's a ways off...most of those annoying but popular little SUVs can't take more than 90-95 without shuddering.
Problem: heartattack, flat tire Solution: everybody swerves out of the way with help from their supercar
Problem: cellphone use at high speed Solution: after people wiseup about it, perhaps it will become taboo. Drivers could be pressured to become more responsible in the way they drive as well, through ad campaigns and the like. Just the way they tackled drunk driving.
UnaBubba: 'Gotta admire your 'no fuckin sense' attitude... gotta tell ya this one thing though...my stock 93 Eagle Vision Tsi can beat the headers off of your modified escort. ;o)-- #1Fan, Jun 21 2002 #1Fan: Most of the SUVs shudder at only 90? More like every single one out there (yes, especially the big ones, which usually roll over if they even start to shudder).
This is very off-topic, but is anyone else who might be reading this post (I know its old) more than a little frustrated by all the slow SUVs and people who take highway on-ramps at about 30 mph, only to find that they have to *stop* and wait for traffic to pass because there isnt any merging lane? Granted, my car (not SUV, not truck) cant take on ramps at highway speeds, but jeez, 30 is ridiculous since all merging lanes are now gone from any roads around Baltimore/Washington. Where'd they all go?
OK I'm done ranting now.-- Bert6322, Jul 23 2002 yes immediate disposal of a lot of ignorant people would be nice, but who is gonna work the late shift at fast food restaurants or 7 11. u-- thinka, Jan 01 2003 Maybe you can shorten the dashes on the road, but you can't change the speed at which you pass things. If people do use the dashes to judge speed, they also use other objects such as signs, trees, etc. Change the length of the dashes, and people will recalibrate their expected dash-passing speed inside twenty minutes.
You can do other things to give people a greater impression of speed, though. You can stiffen suspensions, and position drivers closer to the road surface. Studies have found that one reason people driving SUV's and other trucks tend to speed is that they sit further above the road than car drivers do, and as a result have less sensation of speed.-- ThinkTwice, Aug 08 2004 I think nick_n_uit is a genius
actually I think this idea may work in zones, in attempt to speed up or slow people down or maybee just give them the perception, in the right places. that they are going real fast so that they may pay more attention-- shad, Aug 08 2004 random, halfbakery