India to employ virtual illusions to curb rash driving

Mumbai: A recent tweet by union minister of road transport and highways, Nitin Gadkari indicated that India may soon take the aid of artists to create mass optical illusion crosswalks and bumpers on roads to curb rash-driving.

In the past, artists have also painted objects on sidewalks that looked appeared to be three dimensional in nature. Now Gadkari wants these artists to paint 3D-like barriers on roads to curb rash driving.

The paintings on the road are not as complex as these ones; it is simply five to six painted blocks, which would look like a barrier from a distance.

The optical illusions are designed in a way that the incoming speedsters will not be able to understand till the last minute that it’s just a painting.

According to a BGR report, a few optical illusion crosswalks have already been designed on a highway in Ahmedabad by two mother-daughter artists from Gujarat. Although there is no clarity on when the crosswalks appears like 3D objects, artists have guaranteed that it is enough to avoid panic-breaking.

Another Hindu report pointed out that the centre will experiment with the three-dimensional painted bumps on a couple of highways at one or two points. As per the report, National Highways Authority of India Chairman Raghav Chandra said that it will be implemented if it does not hamper road safety.

Indian is not the only country that is going ahead with this concept as it has been tried out in other regions in Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. Even China has implemented floating 3D crosswalk paintings.

Considering the rising number of road accidents in India that occur due to rash driving, this move might considerably help in keeping the count low.