Watch CBS News Videos OnlineI watched the above Mo Rocca segment on CBS "This Morning" this weekend featuring Dr. Gerald Wilde, a professor of psychology at Ontario's Queens University. Wilde theorizes — in something he calls "risk homeostasis" — that everyone has his or her own fixed level of acceptable risk. When the level of risk in a part of the individual's life changes, there will be a corresponding rise or fall in risk elsewhere to bring the overall risk back to that individual's equilibrium. Wilde argues that the same is true of larger human systems, like a population of drivers. He argues that street signs designed to make us safer actually make us drive more carelessly by sort of nanny-ing us into complacency.

A new traffic movement called "naked streets," being practiced in the city of Drachten in the Netherlands seeks to change that. The small city spearheaded the change of 20 four-way intersections into traffic circles with no signage. The net result? One intersection went from between two and four people dying each year to zero people dying since 2003. In another, the removal of traffic lights has resulted in accidents falling from thirty-six in the four years before it was introduced to two in the next two years. Not only that but they've been more efficient — thanks to overall increases in efficiency from traffic circles — with the average time for each vehicle to cross the junction falling from 50 seconds to 30 seconds, despite a rise in the volume of traffic. Why? Because people are paying attention to traffic, they're going slower and they're communicating with each other.

Owen Paterson, the Dutch Transport Minister, visited Drachten to see the implementation in action. "The idea is to create space where there is mild anxiety among everyone so they all behave cautiously. No one thunders along at 30mph on a high street thinking that they have priority." Mr Paterson said that putting up more speed limit signs and painting more lines on the road had failed to make streets safer. "Instead of the State laying down the rules, we need to give responsibility back to road users. It's about creating an environment where it just doesn't feel right to drive faster than 20mph." We couldn't have said it better ourselves.

Now the experiment's moving beyond the little Dutch city and into the bright lights of London — the first major city that may attempt to order traffic through disorder. Boris Johnson, the city's mayor, is behind an effort to switch off traffic lights in the city's center. The NYT Wheels Blog tell us

"The experiment is slated for around Westminster Abbey (at the intersection of Victoria Street and Strutton Ground) and will last six weeks. For the first two weeks, the lights will operate as normal. The lights will be shut off the following two weeks, and then turned back on for the final two weeks. Closed-circuit cameras and license-plate recognition cameras will monitor driver and pedestrian response."

If the experiment's successful, London could switch off as many as 20% of the city's 400-plus traffic lights.

While we're not entirely convinced all signs should be removed. Frankly, we're concerned that leaving the decision of which drivers are "driving too fast for the conditions" to law enforcement leaves some serious potential for abuse. But, the idea of smart traffic circles still may make sense in many intersections. Really, anything to get rid of the idiots who think a stop sign is nothing more than a yield sign would be great. [via CBS News, NYT Wheels Blog, Times Online]

WTOP news radio reports that a couple of crazy intarw3bz hax0rs have gotten hold of another road side construction side in Rosslyn, Virginia near the Key Bridge yesterday morning. Virginia Department of Transportation was not amused in the slightest, quickly turning off the sign, but not before local media was able to capture the sign in all its Pokeman internet meme glory. [dcist via wtop] (Hat Tip To Michael!)

Safety sign vandals risk public safety, criminal prosecution

Date: Thursday, February 05, 2009

Contact:
Lloyd Brown, WSDOT Communications 360-705-7076
Sgt. Freddy Williams, WSP, (360) 596-4014

OLYMPIA - The Washington State Department of Transportation and the Washington State Patrol are warning would-be vandals that tampering with a roadway safety sign is a crime.

Earlier this week, a portable electronic message sign within a WSDOT construction zone was re-programmed, prompting WSDOT to issue a safety warning and review security measures on its signs and signs owned by contractors.

"This is an issue that poses a potential danger to the traveling public and our crews," said WSDOT Chief Engineer Jerry Lenzi. "Drivers are in jeopardy because these signs notify them of potential hazards up ahead. For example they could encounter construction equipment or conditions and be seriously injured or killed. Our crews rely on these signs to direct traffic through the work zone to help keep them and the motoring public safe."

The single incident in Washington occurred when a control box of a portable message sign adjacent to the roadway was broken into by vandals who created the unauthorized message. The messages on portable construction signs are individually programmed at the job site and are not connected to a central computer network. The incident is similar to other incidents in Texas and Illinois that occurred earlier this week.

The unauthorized message was first noticed by a state trooper who immediately recognized the danger and notified WSDOT. The message was quickly corrected and WSDOT alerted its maintenance and contractor crews of the potential for this problem at other work locations.

"These people risk potential felony charges," said WSP Captain Jeff DeVere. "These signs convey important safety information and we do not consider this a harmless prank."

[WSDOT via Seattle Times]

UPDATE: Here's a gallery of the carnage caused since posting the following "How To":

How many times have you driven by an electronic road sign like one of these?

This is the ADDCO portable sign. Today, you see what is on the inside, and how they are programmed to display important information.

*** WARNING YOU SHOULD NEVER TAMPER WITH THESE SIGNS ***

• The access panel on the sign is generally protected by a small lock, but often are left unprotected. Upon opening the access panel you can see the display electronics.
• The black control pad is attached by a curly cord, with a keyboard on the face.
• Programming is as simple as scrolling down the menu selection to "Instant Text". Type whatever you want to display, Hit Enter to submit. You can now either throw it up on the sign by selecting "Run w/out save" or you can add more pages to it by selecting "Add page"

** HACKER TIPS ** Should it will ask you for a password. Try "DOTS", the default password.

In all likelihood, the crew will not have changed it. However if they did, never fear. Hold "Control" and "Shift" and while holding, enter "DIPY". This will reset the sign and reset the password to "DOTS" in the process. You're in!

Head over to i-Hacked for the illustrated version of these instructions and by no means should you use it to remind motorists how "O'DOYLE RULZ" or how the "THE BRITISH ARE COMING" and DEFINITELY don't write "JALOPNIK IS BEST!"

UPDATE: Also by no means should you use these directions to write "Jalopnik Rules!"
UPDATE #2: Oops, too late!

[pictures via Road Trip America, GuideSpot, MonkeyBriefs, Democratic Underground, Tdistler, 13gb, Listverse, Airliners]