New Driver's Warning System: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

by Robert Farago

Published: April 14th, 2009

new driver s warning system what could possibly go wrong

Autocar reports:

A system that warns drivers of children about to cross the road is being evaluated in Aberdeenshire.

Called the Amparo See Me, the system uses a tag that is attached to a child’s school bag to trigger warning lights on bus stops or at crossings.

This then warns drivers that children are in the vicinity, and studies have shown that the speed of passing vehicles reduces by an average of 8mph.

The system is already used in Sweden.

Recent UK Department for Transport figures show that in 2005, 28,126 children aged 0-15 were injured in road accidents. Of these, 331 were seriously injured and 141 were killed.

Robert Farago

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4 of 14 comments

Blastman on Apr 14, 2009

I see this as one of those “safety” technologies that does nothing but decrease caution and attentiveness. Completely agree. Schools and parents need to educate children how to safely cross streets. It's a safety skill that needs to be taught. Not all street crossings have crosswalks and lights.

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Ihatetrees on Apr 15, 2009
cardeveloper: The buses pull over every third stop to let the piled up cars pass by and the busing department is seriously considering only picking up on the right side, for even residential neighborhoods. +1. What's insane is picking up and dropping off kids right in front of their homes. You can't let kids off in groups at a common intersection, cuz everyone who's watched Oprah knows that there'll be five or six molesters stalking every bus stop. And it's not only a traffic congestion issue. The last kid on the bus has to sit through all those single stops. What could be a 20 minute ride home turns into an hour.

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Durishin on Apr 15, 2009

@cardeveloper, +2 When will these tree-hugging, liberal voting, SUV-driving, anti-offshore-drilling, save the snail darting polar bears parents actually think about the environment and their kid's health and let them walk more than the length of the driveway?

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John Williams on Apr 16, 2009
We can’t even get people to stop passing busses when the red lights are flashing. Several local kids have been hit by cars. Affix a huge fine ($500+) and enforce it ruthlessly, just like red-light cameras and speeding. Sad to say, the best way to train people is through their pocketbooks.

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