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Thursday 16 December 2010

Make speeding cameras fun !



An article about something a bit fun in the 'Wheels blog' of the New York Times a couple of week back.

It was about The Fun Theory, sponsored by Volkswagen. The idea behind the contest: " ... that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better". The winning entrants can be found at their website.

The grand prize winner was submitted by an American. His idea ? A speed camera lottery !
Take a portion of speeding fines amassed by a speeding camera and distribute it to those who did not speed !

Volkswagen and the Swedish National Society for Road Safety teamed up over the summer to make it a reality. Those who sped got the usual fine mailed to them but a random plate was selected and sent the prize of 20,000 krona ($3,000 U.S.).

The 'fun' idea came about after Richardson saw two children hit by speeding cars.

What's interesting about the experiment is that it did, indeed, change people's behavior. When the experiment ended in November and the data was crunched it turned out that the average speed on that stretch of street was 25 km/h, a 22 per cent reduction from before.

Hats off to the Fun Theory people, cities who allow a little fun to happen every once in a while and the realization that you don't always need a big stick to change behavior !

Related:
The Fun Theory website
Speed Camera Lottery Wins VW Fun Theory N.Y. Times
Speed Camera Lottery pays drivers for slowing down Toronto Star
Image: credit

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