Baffling and colourful way drivers stopped from falling asleep at the wheel

23 December 2023 , 10:15

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These eye-catching light displays are reportedly part of a new initiative by the Chinese highway authorities to keep drivers awake (Image: Science girl/X)

Road safety authorities in China appear to have devised a novel solution to the problem of drivers falling asleep at the wheel - but not everyone is reassured.

Far-reaching flashing light displays called "high speed anti-fatigue laser lights" have been installed on highways in a bid to keep night-timedrivers alert while on the road. The lights appear to project around 2 kilometres into the distance.

A video of them supposedly in action has recently resurfaced after it was shared by an X (formerly Twitter) user known as Science Girl on November 6. Originally recorded on 31 October last year, the footage shows red, green and blue laser lights beaming repeatedly from the top of a gantry on the 1,600-km-long Qingdao-Yinchuan Expressway, which connects the coastal city of Qingdao to Ningxia in north-central China.

A video has resurfaced that appears to show anti-tiredness lights flashing over a highway (Science girl/X)

She wrote: "A video captured on the Qingdao-Yinchuan Expressway displays vibrant laser lights hovering above the vehicles. Mr Li, the person behind the camera, reported that these laser lights designed to combat fatigue quickly revitalised him and reduced his exhaustion during a prolonged nighttime."

The Science Girl's repost has since garnered over 68 million views. X users were quick to liken the colourful lights to the Rainbow Road track found in the Mario Kart racing game series. "The Rainbow Road is real," joked one user.

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But the majority of viewers reacted negatively, pointing out that the laser lights were perhaps too enlivening – and might actually be endangering drivers. One X user commented: "Whose genius idea is it to blind the drivers? Congrats, those who aren't sleepy are now disoriented." Another agreed: "I would be too busy staring at the lights and [may] wind up wrecking [my car]".

"Can't fall asleep if you're in the middle of a seizure", someone else quipped sarcastically, in reference to how constant flashing lights risk triggering epileptic seizures in photosensitive individuals.

The Shandong Highway Traffic Police Division has reportedly assured local media that the light displays were only installed following multiple field surveys and intensive testing and do not hinder safe driving. However, it remains unclear whether the clip is real or has been doctored.

Mizy Judah Clifton