Yesterday Was A Good Day

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

Because any day in Hanoi without a traffic fatality is a good one. Just outside of Hanoi’s Daewoo Hotel (the hotel of choice for both international conferences and visiting despots) is this large, prominently displayed billboard. In addition to the running count of traffic accidents and fatalities, levels of key pollutants are represented by animated faces with corresponding levels of positive emotions. Carbon levels, for example, got a big smiley while Sulfur Dioxide levels elicited a more ambivalent emotional animation. Good thing the principle wasn’t applied to the traffic fatality count.

Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

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  • Ronman Ronman on Apr 07, 2009

    I think this is brilliant! keeps reminding people of how fragile their life is behind the wheel and how much you should care for it. especially on 2 wheels. i wonder what kind of effect a counter such as that would have on the accident rate in western countries. someone should give it a go...

  • Stein X Leikanger Stein X Leikanger on Apr 07, 2009

    The worst traffic I've ever been in, was in Teheran in the early 70s. The major boulevard was sheer mayhem, with a free-for all interpretation of traffic rules being made up as you go, apparently. Our driver navigated this with admirable insouciance. This traffic intersection in St. Petersburg rang a bell ... Lights? What effing lights? (Or as in the movie Starman: "What does yellow mean?" "Speed up as fast as you can.") http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntbZ_YF-R0o I'm a strong believer in letting people see the possible outcomes of irresponsible driving. Because it can be gruesome.

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