3D Illusion used to Slow Down Traffic

3D Illusion used to Slow Down Traffic

Traffic safety foundation in Vancouver, Canada is using 3D pavement art to make drivers slow down in high risk areas and school zones.

Optical illusion of a little girl chasing a ball has been installed by BCAA and Preventable on 22nd street in West Vancouver, north of Inglewood Avenue.

3D illusion rises up gradually from about 100 feet away and fades away by the time a driver approaches.

3D Girl on a Pavement

Warning signs leading up to the illusion were installed to prepare drivers.

Traffic Control with 3D Illusions

Traffic Control using 3D Illusions

The goal is to draw attention to the risk of children running onto the road.

3D Illusion Speed Bump

Also check out: 3D Graffiti and Rain Activated Street Art

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  1. kcantu


  2. BigA

    Bad idea. What happens after driving by this a few dozen times? Naturally one would get use to it and it will lose its benefit. Then a real kid runs into the street at about the same location…

  3. Troy Peterson

    @BigA… my thought exactly.

  4. James Ward

    So, as people get used to it and speed up again, what happens when a real child happens to be in the street? But ok, the concept is very interesting – better than a traffic cam.

  5. Stephan

    @BigA – very much agree

  6. Lo

    The story of the boy who called wolf comes to mind…

  7. Stephan Wehner

    Sounds like a bad idea. Because “the control is low”. What is a driver supposed to think when something appears, ….., and then just disappears? Might even cause accidents!

    A better idea would be to simply close down the street for cars.

    — Stephan

  8. Daffy

    Silly idea. Increase accidents.

  9. Ross

    If a kid randomly appears in the middle of the road when I’m driving I slam on the breaks. If I slam on the breaks and there is a car behind me, more than likely I’m getting rear-ended. Ironic that this is an ad about road safety…

  10. Ian H.

    It was on the news for weeks ahead of actually putting it on the street, plus everyone knew where it was going to be – it’s an awareness thing, not trying to trick people into thinking it’s a real kid.

  11. Karen

    i think the only effective way of using this, after many passings is if it was made a traffic law to slow down at these kid things. then it would actually be enforced, and a habit to slow down when you see children.

  12. Shammie

    Yes, this is not a good idea…..

  13. Art of Concept

    I think the only illusion here is the illusion of safety :-S

  14. Lawrence

    @BigA – Cant Agree more!!!!!!!!!!!

  15. Critical Eye

    Apparently traffic experts find this idiotic as well:

    “I think it’s awful. I think it’s dangerous,” said Sam Schwartz, former New York City traffic commissioner who is now president of Sam Schwartz Engineering. “I think drivers are always scanning and suddenly they see this image up, they may very well panic.”

  16. amy

    i agree with bigA, people get used to it and ignores real kids on the street. it’ll be like the story “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” no one will believe there’s really a wolf at the end.

  17. Fillibert

    15 grand for the project. waste of money

  18. Atavar


    So what about people from outside Vancouver travelling through the area? The first thing they are going to know about it, especially at night, is some kid flying under the wheels of their car.

    Its a clever campaign but not very smart considering all the variables.

  19. ??

    you don’t actually imagine a child appearing out of nowhere like a mirage right? as seen on the video, its just an illusion and if you aren’t driving with 80mph, you can clearly see that its not an actual child. besides, its an alley and you wouldn’t drive that fast there.

  20. yui

    more than likely drivers will be distracted by the ad and not notice a real child running into the road!

  21. rico

    Doesn’t work, at least it didn’t work in the Netherlands… They painted some blocks on the roads in my neighborhood to make it look there were blocks on the road. After the first couple of days the effect was gone, and the driver went back to speeding in that road.

  22. cindy

    I am in total agreement with BIGA, it was the first thought I had.

  23. Bryan

    What does this illusion look like for the motorists heading the opposite direction?

  24. John

    Let’s assume for a moment that the illusion works & a driver really is going an unsafe speed. They’re instinctively going to swerve and, on a narrow street, that could send them into oncoming traffic.

  25. Silver

    I had the same idea. After a while drivers will start ignoring it. Which means they might accidentaly ignore a real child too..

  26. Svetlina

    If I were a driver that saw an ad and got distracted, I`d reconsider calling myself a driver.
    What`s wrong with you people? You count on the driving skills of all people on the road but your own? You believe that the chance of someone hitting a kid is smaller than the chance of you stoping in front of a commercial?

  27. Karin L.

    Really cool!!! The images could be varried so as not to get driver boredom.

  28. Simplicity??

    Easily the worst, most dangerous, ill-conceived design work ever seen.

  29. Mike

    Great – so what happens when the guy trying to avoid hitting the 3D illusion crashes into a tree…a school bus, or another kid?

  30. bomberben

    @big a
    Though thats probably true.. it only takes one time for it to have its full effect and for everyone to pay more attention.

  31. Ron

    This is a bad idea.. it’s clever yes.. but HUMPS on both ways are still best. All drivers will surely slow down even at night.t

  32. Cathy

    In my neighborhood this would be bad because it would draw your eyes away from the side of the road where the kids and the deer are coming from.

  33. G Loaf

    I say we put a real kid in the middle of the road, that’ll get ’em to slow down

  34. Reith

    So bad and dangerous ….

  35. he

    BigA I was thinking that too…

  36. pinoygag

    BigA is correct we will get use to it

  37. Mark

    so what does it look like from the other direction?
    Kid standing on there head spinning on there head like a break dancer ?

  38. Martin

    Or when you see it the first time and hit the breakes and the car behind you crashes into you…
    (we have a similar thing where i live. Lights that are suppose the imitate the eyes of a deer by the side of the road. that made me almoste drive of the road the first time… now i dont care…)

  39. Garrett Davis

    Or how about we stop building roads where you feel comfortable driving 60 mph but have a posted limit of 35?

    Plant trees near road ways and allow on street parking has been proven to slow down traffic. Not only does it look nice, but it makes roadways safer.

  40. Christopher

    Great Idea, but I bet it wouldn’t fly in Idaho.

  41. Simplicity??

    I don’t know which is worse, the image of the kid on the road, or the black sign preventable.ca put up ahead of the image. In the time it would take to read the sign, a kid could easily dart in front of then driver’s car and get killed.

    This campaign is soooo poorly designed that it’s criminal.

  42. Habibies

    @BigA totally agree with you

  43. Sarah

    i agree with BigA!

  44. kadal

    @BigA totally agree….

  45. G

    This is idiotic. Governments and groups-with-a-cause need to stop looking for more and more cunning ways to manipulate people and start trying to treat people with a little dignity – appeal to them as intelligent adults. And if that doesn’t work, well you’re stuffed; that’s just life.

  46. MR.A

    So, why even put it in a parking ram? imean really… seems like a waste, and i agree with whoever said this reminds me of the boy who cried wolf.

  47. ChEeSe

    i agree with BigA!!!!!!!!!!!

  48. nina

    this campaign isn’t meant to trick people into thinking that there is a child therefore slowing down, it’s a reminder that children will be crossing / playing / etc. so when people see this and they are reminded of that (knowing this is just a 3d drawing) they should have a moral incentive to slow down.

  49. G Loaf

    i think this was a lame attempt at finding a creative way to get people to slow down
    completely dangerous and not thought through at all
    and bigA is so right

  50. Julie

    what ever happend to speed bumps and traffic lights?

  51. DanielT

    They may get used to the picture and possible run over real kids? Lol, I think it’s more about reminding them of why it’s there in the first place. Slow down. Like a string on the finger. It serves no real purpose besides a reminder. Albeit, I think a few stop signs would do the trick or an occasional trooper being stationed out there.

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