Skip to menu
Skip to content
The Yau Law Firm
Focused on Protecting Businesses and Representing the Injured

3D Speed Bump: The Optical Illusion Controversy

 A personal injury attorney’s dream, or a parent’s worst nightmare?  West Vancouver officials are not satisfied with the results of traditional speed bumps.  Pavement Patty is designed to slow cars down that are not traveling at the safe rate of speed.  If the driver is going the proper speed limit, the image will slow or stop the vehicle before safely continuing on and over Pavement Patty  …theoretically.

A 2D pavement painting is placed on the ground where a traditional speed bump would be.  As the driver approaches the 2D image, it appears to rise up, reaching 3D realism at around 100 feet, and then returning to 2D distortion once cars pass that ideal viewing distance. 

David Duane of the BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation told CTV news that the bump was meant to bring attention to driver-caused pedestrian injuries, and that the fake girl should not cause accidents “It’s a static image. If a driver can’t respond to this appropriately, that person shouldn’t be driving….”

While this could prevent many accidents, I feel that it can condition drivers to become accustom to these images. These 3D images could have drivers conditioned to roll over children in the road. What happens when it is not an image and drivers start plowing over real children? I think the idea is in the right frame of mind, but it is just too risky.

Leave a Reply

« »