Mexico developing 'smart' speed bumps to increase safety, decrease fuel consumption
Speed bumps are the bane of many an urban driver all around the world. We understand that the little protrusions were first installed to promote safety by getting drivers to slow down in congested areas, but we can't be the only ones that think the dang things have been getting out of hand as of late. Such is apparently the case in Toluca, Mexico, where a company called Decano Industries is working on a new smart speed bump that may both increase safety and decrease fuel consumption. Wait... smart speed bump?Apparently, Decano's innovative devices measure the force of impact from an oncoming vehicle and immediately collapse if the car is traveling the speed limit or below. If a car is moving too fast, the speed bump stays in place, causing the familiar jarring impact we've all come to know and loathe. The government of Mexico City sees enough promise in the technology that its providing grant money to the company and helping get the system patented.
There's more on the line than just controlling speed. A 2006 study by Mexico City Autonomous University found that the constant acceleration and deceleration caused by speed bumps actually causes more pollutants and increases fuel consumption. A slow and steady speed would be much more environmentally friendly. In this instance, it would seem that dumber drivers equals smarter speed bumps. Who knew?
[Source: USA Today | Image: Flickr/boulanger.iE via C.C. 2.0]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Rich 10:59AM (10/15/2009)
Sheesh it's so long since I heard about this I don't think I was even living in the US.
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bismillah 11:01AM (10/15/2009)
Those Mexican "topes" have got to be the world's worst speed bumps!!
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Azael 2:10PM (10/15/2009)
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TO EBERYONE JOU KNOW. TANK JOU POR YELPING ME.
ack154 11:01AM (10/15/2009)
So.. like this?
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/12/go-slow-and-be-rewarded-with-flat-speed-bumps/
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garlinski 11:01AM (10/15/2009)
Ok... this is a joke right? "FARTS"? speed bumps that look like, um, "speed bumps"?
I mean, it seems like a good idea, but i jsut giggled liek a little school boy when i saw the picture... I need more coffee.
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Sea Urchin 11:10AM (10/15/2009)
I was about to point that out.
Brex 11:16AM (10/15/2009)
When I use babelfish to translate "farts dempere", it came up with "farts dempere." Ohhh, I see.
daleam 12:14PM (10/15/2009)
It means "hold on to your farts, rough road ahead".
Okay, I made that up.
Maytag 12:51PM (10/15/2009)
It's norwegian and means speedbumps. That particular sign is actually supposed to indicate uneven road.
The new official sign warning for a speed bump is actually called "Fartshump", which is of course even better (but means speedbump -- singular) See http://www.vegvesen.no/Trafikkinformasjon/Lover+og+regler/Trafikkskilt/Fareskilt and scroll down to sign 109.
Tourian A5 11:07AM (10/15/2009)
I'm from Mexico, and I think speed bumps are worse than satan. Specially when they're 1 foot wide and 3 feet tall. Srsly, no idea who came up with that stuff.
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John Johnson 11:12AM (10/15/2009)
So this'll be cool for emergency vehicles to hit.
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MichaelA 1:44PM (10/15/2009)
"So this'll be cool for emergency vehicles to hit."
Yeah, compared to normal speed bumps which don't contract at any speed....
John Johnson 1:46PM (10/15/2009)
I'm assuming that these will be new speed bumps put in place on roads to keep people in check. If they're replacing existing speedbumps, I'm all for it.
mk15 11:16AM (10/15/2009)
The speedbumps I saw in Mexico DF and Monterrey weren't that bad. I've seen much worse... I have work truck with a "low" 7" ground clearance and I managed to scrape the underside and I had an unloaded bed, wtf! Tthat would explain where there were several old fenders lying about near the speedbump. But I'm glad they eventually got rid of it.
In Mexico, one of the slangs for speedbump is "policia dormido" (sleeping policeman). That's hilarious. In Panama (Central America) they call them "policia muerto" (dead policeman).
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friko 3:04PM (10/15/2009)
I'm from Mexico City and I've never heard the "policia dormido" thing. It's funny, though.
Visnick 11:25AM (10/15/2009)
Somehow I think were safe in Boston, no way that'll survive one winter
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nrb 11:29AM (10/15/2009)
Are high-tech speedbumps really the best use of Mexican taxpayer dollars?
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Visnick 6:08PM (10/15/2009)
It could stop a mobile meth lab
jv2k 11:30AM (10/15/2009)
Where I live they repaved a road that goes around a shopping plaza and after a couple days of smooth fresh pavement they installed a speedbump and put it where there had never been one and didn't put up a warning sign. Not only that but the thing was much taller than it needed to be.
I wonder how many cars go messed up by that bump.
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WeX 11:33AM (10/15/2009)
farts dempere is norwegian or danish, not sure which one since im from Sweden :)
great invention. but probably too expensive for most towns to afford.
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