Originally published at: Laser light show on freeway meant to keep drivers from falling asleep (video) | Boing Boing
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Yay! So much better to crash from disorienting and distracting visual stimuli than from plain old drowsiness.
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Indeed. Because pulling over to a rest stop for, you, know, a few hours nap will get you ticketed for loitering in this day and age, and then hauled into jail five miles down the road for DUI once kicked out of the rest stop. (driving while tired falls under the DUI laws, at least in arizona.) 
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I-95 south into Philadelphia has several electric billboards. Incredibly distracting. Especially at night!
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Really?
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Like the world’s wildlife needs more light pollution. Way to go, China.
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Yay, more light pollution. sigh-emoji
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Either translation has not been altogether kind; or it sounds like there’s some sort of theory regarding the effect of specially crafted light exposure on fatigue that goes beyond the trivial-but-not-desperately-helpful knowledge that shining a bright light in someone’s face tends to perk them up momentarily.
I ran across this piece on a Chinese laser product vendor’s site; claiming that there’s supposed to be a stroboscopic effect that is more stimulating than just illumination(I suspect that they have no reason to lie about what the laser is doing; not so sure about getting my sleep medicine from random laser vendors); but not a whole lot else.
Anyone know what the state of the enwakening-visual-stimulus research is; and whether this is at least adjacent to it? Did some low-information local municipal buyer just need to be seen doing something to assure people that something was being done; and a few emitters sure beat trying to deal with a systemic problem?
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What if it makes people relax?
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If it’s a laser light show, then the tunes have to be Dark Side of the Moon.
Not only distracted driving but now it’s going to attract stoners driving.
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A light show is really not going to do much to induce alertness in an exhausted driver. A nap on the side of the road or a rest stop will 
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Those are very powerful lasers, much more powerful than would be required to temporarily dazzle, and from a bit of research they are powerful enough to permanently blind people. Given China’s reputation for not maintaining infrastructure, general shoddy construction execution, and lack of accountability when the government causes problems, it is probably only a matter of time before someone has an accident or ends up needing a seeing-eye dog due to misalignment, sabotage, or just a bit of reflective trash in the wrong place at the wrong time causing a scintillation injury.
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“My God, it’s full of cars!”
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To be fair, getting rear ended or plowing into the car in front of you will wake you right up.
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Speed Racer galloping zebras zoetrope. How do people with light-induced epilepsy feel about it?
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I kinda dig it, but where are those lasers pointed after they go over driver’s heads? Those are plenty bright enough to blind a pilot a few miles away.
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I can’t see any way this could possible go horribly wrong.
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