the speed signs with the smiley / sad faces

[bimble]

These sort of thing.

there's a bunch of them in my area (light up green smiley when you're under the speed limit and red sad face when you're above it).

I am pretty sure that they work more effectively on me than they would without the faces, i mean if they just spelled out 'too fast' or flashed your speed in numbers. And today wondered if other people have the same thing.

Can't find anything on google about psychological research to show that i am not just a weirdo who somehow is motivated by needing to see the signs smile or is scared of disappointing the face.

If it's true and we subconsciously are motivated to make smiles happen maybe this could have other applications.
Are these signs all over the country & are they proven to work better with the faces than without ?

 

[ElizabethofYork]

Apparently when your restaurant bill has a smiley face drawn on it, you're more likely to leave a good tip.

 

[hash tag]

There is of course a type of driver who will see how high they can get the numbers on those things.
yes, I think they work because some drivers fear they are being monitored by those signs and maybe even get a speeding ticket and there are
other drivers who don't want the shame of others seeing them speeding.

 

[Pickman's model]

These sort of thing.
View attachment 309550View attachment 309551
there's a bunch of them in my area (light up green smiley when you're under the speed limit and red sad face when you're above it).

I am pretty sure that they work more effectively on me than they would without the faces, i mean if they just spelled out 'too fast' or flashed your speed in numbers. And today wondered if other people have the same thing.

Can't find anything on google about psychological research to show that i am not just a weirdo who somehow is motivated by needing to see the signs smile or is scared of disappointing the face.

If it's true and we subconsciously are motivated to make smiles happen maybe this could have other applications.
Are these signs all over the country & are they proven to work better with the faces than without ?

yes

 

[T & P]

Whenever I see one of those I think to myself 'wouldn't be amusing if instead of a sad face it flashed the message SLOW DOWN, YOU CUNT!'

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Whenever I see one of those I think to myself 'wouldn't be amusing if instead of a sad face it flashed the message SLOW DOWN, YOU CUNT!'

With an added emoticon

 

[skyscraper101]

And with an added



20 yards after

 

[killer b]

Are these signs all over the country & are they proven to work better with the faces than without ?

I don't have the data to hand and cba looking for it, but yes, and yes.

 

[LDC]

There's one near me which picks you up if you run past it in a certain angle. Not managed to trigger an unhappy face yet though.

 

[bimble]

I remember reading some thing about how if you put images of a pair of eyes up in a public place people behave better, just like stickers of some big eyes. Maybe it’s not even the smileys just the being ‘watched’ by a face .

ETA Watching-eye effect - Wikipedia

 

[hash tag]

Bit like a cardboard cutout of a policeman in the entry to a shop.

 

[bimble]

Bit like a cardboard cutout of a policeman in the entry to a shop.

Yes! Saw this a while back.

 

[andysays]

I like these, though I try to obey the speed limit whether they're there or not.

In the areas I'm driving the speed limit is only 20mph though, and the smileys aren't fancy colours so not as exciting as those in the OP.

 

[T & P]

Yes! Saw this a while back.

View attachment 309623

No mention of shoplifting being reported to the police, though

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

If they said “you’re speed” it was cause the grammar-pedant-speeder to slow down in order to have a bit of a rage

 

[BristolEcho]

Yes! Saw this a while back.

View attachment 309623

Asking to be stolen really.

 

[kabbes]

are they proven to work better with the faces than without ?

Signs with faces are certainly proven to work, although without searching a bit I can’t tell you if somebody has done a test of ones with vs without faces.

Here is a study showing that signs with faces are effective:

Effects of speed display signs on driving speed at pedestrian crossings on collector streets

This study was designed to evaluate the short- and long-term effects of speed display signs on driving speed at pedestrian crossings in a low-speed (4…

www.sciencedirect.com

“This study was designed to evaluate the short- and long-term effects of speed display signs on driving speed at pedestrian crossings in a low-speed (40 km/h) urban environment. Driving speeds were compared 1 week before installation, after installation (1 week; 1 month; 3 months; 5 months) and 1 week after removal. The main results showed that the speed displays decreased the mean speed by 0.5–2.9 km/h, which translates to a 4–22% drop in pedestrian fatality risk. Furthermore, there was a drop in the proportion of speeding vehicles and approaching speed of individual vehicles. The decrease in speed persisted over time, suggesting that speed displays may reduce speeds in the long term”

2. Method​

2.1. Speed displays​

The speed display sign used in the study was 63.4 cm wide and 78.6 cm high, with a black background and red-and-white dashed border as shown in Fig. 1. The text “SINÄ AJAT” (Finnish for “You are driving”) was printed in yellow, and below it appeared the measured speed alternating with a smiley face. If the speed limit was not exceeded, the numeric display was yellow and the smiley face green, both turning red when the speed limit was exceeded by up to 10 km/h. If the speed limit was exceeded by more than 10 km/h, a red encircled exclamation mark appeared instead.

Fig. 1. Diagram of the speed display signs used in the study. “Sinä ajat” is Finnish for “You are driving”

 

[Dogsauce]

Asking to be stolen really.

I seem to recall a friend of mine did manage to successfully shoplift one of those many years back and had it in their house.

 

[blossie33]

There's a smiley sign in Dalston Lane, Hackney I don't drive so I just enjoy watching it smile or frown at the traffic as I'm walking towards it

 

[Aladdin]

I remember reading some thing about how if you put images of a pair of eyes up in a public place people behave better, just like stickers of some big eyes. Maybe it’s not even the smileys just the being ‘watched’ by a face .

ETA Watching-eye effect - Wikipedia

I wonder would that work in classroom.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

We had one at work. And there were no accidents anyway so we stopped maintaining it and it died.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

I remember reading some thing about how if you put images of a pair of eyes up in a public place people behave better, just like stickers of some big eyes. Maybe it’s not even the smileys just the being ‘watched’ by a face .

These are dotted around Wokingham (most are just the cat - this one's on the wall of the library)



not sure i've noticed major changes to behaviour round the place

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

I remember reading some thing about how if you put images of a pair of eyes up in a public place people behave better, just like stickers of some big eyes. Maybe it’s not even the smileys just the being ‘watched’ by a face .

ETA Watching-eye effect - Wikipedia

 

[blossie33]

Interesting, there are quite a few of these around our area (copied from the iconic Shepard Fairey design) so that's the same idea then.

 

[andysays]

Interesting, there are quite a few of these around our area (copied from the iconic Shepard Fairey design) so that's the same idea then.
View attachment 310117

I've seen those as well, and the pre-Covid version without a mask.

I suspect whoever's responsible for the mask ones are covid denialist nutters.

I don't know if it's the same people that did the originals, but I fear it might be

 

[pbsmooth]

there are also versions which flash your speed and your number plate, now that did shit me up a bit

 

[danski]

Interesting, there are quite a few of these around our area (copied from the iconic Shepard Fairey design) so that's the same idea then.
View attachment 310117

It’s a skate clothing brand

Obey Clothing UK

The official OBEY Clothing website. A mix of progressive design in apparel and classic streetwear based on the design of artist & designer Shepard Fairey.

obeyclothing.co.uk

 

[blossie33]

Yes, I've got one of the brand's tops, I love his artwork too

 

[T & P]

Of course, many a regular speed breaker will be delighted by the proliferation of these, given that they can't actually issue fines or provide evidence for a conviction, like speed cameras do.

 

[hash tag]

Just found this

Police catch 44 speeding drivers during 'smiley SID' operation in Leeds street

Police have caught 44 speeding drivers during a ‘smiley SID’ operation in a Leeds street.

www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk