Have you been following the ongoing saga of The Singing Road of Lancaster, California? Originally created as a promotion for Honda, a stretch of road was precisely grooved so that driving it caused Rossini’s “William Tell Overture” (The Lone Ranger theme) to vibrate around you (much like freeway grooves that alert you to driving on the shoulder).
An engaging experience? At least at first. Does it teach something? Well, perhaps not what might have been intended.
Did you catch what the driver learned? They were being reinforced to drive way above the speed limit! Although the experience was designed to be driven at 55mph, it was actually more enjoyable at higher speeds! After all, The Lone Ranger theme is a fast little ditty. In human performance terms, I think Honda earned a little “oopsie”.
The technology though, I find fascinating. If one thinks of safe driving reinforcement, or traffic calming, one usually thinks of “sticks” (speeding tickets) rather than “carrots” (rewards). Could there have been a way to actually offer a “carrot” and encourage a safe (and legal) rate of speed?
Japan seems to have done a bit better in this respect. The example below claims to sound best at a safe rate of speed. In addition, it seems to make sense from an aesthetic point of view — A nice song, beautiful scenery, a safe and isolated stretch of road without neighbors who quickly tire of hearing the same tune over … and over … and over…
What if this technology could be used both to promote safe driving practices and maybe teach a little something? Keep your speed down and stay alert listening to American classics while driving the vast American West? Immerse yourself in period music while touring historical sites? Good grief, you could add signs with lyrics if you wanted. And, I suppose you could opt out by changing lanes. What do you think?
