[Daffynition]

For the correct answers, click here.

[gondramB]

I guessed 8 feet.

[Joe 6-pack]

If you drive fast enough they look like one solid white line.

[OB1kNOb]

What white lines?

[PackerBoy]

I live and work in Columbus. The problem is NOT that people drive too FAST. And when it rains at all, take the posted speed limit and cut it in half; that’s about the same speed at whch people are driving.

[Just another Joe]

And they guessed the same size whether they were driving by or standing still a distance away.

What does that have to do with driving too fast?

[Cyber Ninja]

Lines? I thought those were dots.

[chuck_the_tv_out]

a phenomenon that has been known for 60 years has been discovered?

[Oliver Boliver Butt]

Did they ask the students to estimate the length of a yard stick? They would probably miss that one also.

[wolfcreek]

We use to go from one side to the other, trying to miss the white lines. Kind of like the poles in dog competitions.

[dead]

People underestimate the length of the white dashed lines painted down the middle of a road indicating that many drive too fast

Actually, it indicates that people are not very good judges of the length of a line they pass while in a moving car.

There is no indication that the speed of the car postively or negatively affects their ability to accomplish this inane task effectively.

In fact, the goofy study indicates exactly the opposite:

even when the students were standing some distance away from actual 10-foot lines or riding by them in a car, they judged the size to be the same: 2 feet.

[3niner]

Funny, I use my speedometer to estimate my speed.

The length of a white line is of no relevance to a driver, so there is no reason they should know it. All that matters is whether a white line is solid or broken.

Any driver who is paying enough attention to the white line, to accurately estimate its length, is focussed on the wrong thing, and more likely to have an accident.

[HangnJudge]

Who cares about the lines...

Best practice for safe driving...

Do not follow closer than 2 seconds behind car in front
Do not drive faster than you can see 4 seconds ahead
Generally match driving speed with others in own lane

When in doubt, estimate speed by the Speedometer
and follow the law

[piytar]

"People underestimate the length of the white dashed lines painted down the middle of a road indicating that many drive too fast, a U. S. researcher said."

Utter bull. This indicates that the appearance of the lines from the perspective of sitting in a car plus motion of the car creates an optical illusion of shortness. This common experience also trumps the "standing still" perception -- an interesting insight into how people process information. It has NOTHING to do with driving too fast!

[piytar]

Oh yeah, another indication that this has nothing to do with driving “too fast” is this statement: “’We were surprised, first, that people’s estimates were so far off, and second, that there was so little variability,’ Shaffer said in a statement.” So, either they interviewed ALL speeders, of there is a common factor resulting in the commonality of result, gee maybe like how people’s brains interpret visual information? Sheesh.

[SkyDancer]

I heard that if you sing “Duke of York” (I think that was what the title was) those white lines keep beat to that music and you’re doing 55MPH ..... but then don’t try La Bamba ....

[count-your-change]

It’s really hard to guess when the lines keep moving from one side of the road to the other.

[CholeraJoe]

No idea how long they are but the coke heads keep trying to snort them up.

[Daffynition]

Zebra crossing for lovers

A Chinese city has created a pedestrian crossing with a romantic theme to help put couples in the mood for love.

The romantic crossing /Quirky China News

Traffic officials in Chengdu came up with the idea for the crossing which features two hearts and the message in English: "I love you", reports the Tianfu Morning Post.

A spokesman said the local traffic bureau wanted to give the crossing a romantic atmosphere because it was close to the Hejiang Pavilion, a popular dating venue for young couples.

"We want to make everybody who walks on it feel warmth and love from others," said the spokesman, adding that it was believed to be the first crossing of its kind in the whole country.

"We have two wishes - one, that all who walk on it experience long-lasting love and, two, that they obey traffic rules and cross safely."

Tourist Liang Xuemei, from Hainan, asked her friend to pull over and take pictures after spotting the crossing during a tour of the city: "It looks very welcoming," she said.

[MinuteGal]

I wonder how much of a taxpayers' government grant was expended for this nutty perfesser to conduct this earthshaking research program.

At least, the time spent on it probably kept him from teaching Marxism 101 to his students for a term or two.

Leni