Wow, did these researchers miss the mark (so to speak). They completely ignored perspective and angle. The reason they are 10 feet long is so that they will LOOK 2 feet long when driving. Since the driver is looking at these from a “shallow” angle, they look short. That’s the point!! Being able to judge the distance (or length) when you are looking perpendicular is very diffent than when you are looking at a 60 degree down angle. When you see writing on the road, the letters are actually about 30 feet in height, but they don’t look that big because of the ANGLE. It’s not a psychological or distance judging issue, it’s a fact of angles.
When I’m driving at 40 MPH, I know that I should be at least 4 car lengths behind the guy in front of me. Based on these findings, when I THINK I’m 4 car lengths back, I must ACTUALLY BE much farther away. Right?
hmm.. normal rule of thumb is that you should have two seconds of space between you and the person ahead of you on normal roads, and 4 seconds on the highways.
Exactly. Using the “10 ft. looks like 2 ft.” relationship, when I think I’m 4 car lengths back, I’m actually 20 car lengths back, or around 5 seconds. So while my rule-of-thumb appears reckless on the surface, it’s actually safer than the 2 (or 4) second rule.
As if I didn’t know who paid for it. Looks like a marvelous use of some tax dollars. Perhaps part of the bailout can include eduacating the public on the length of white lines as related to speed as related to safety, as related to fuel consumption as related to global warming. Clearly those white lines are causing global warming & must be elimiated.
ok… college kids have been driving for what? about 2-6 years? And most of that time doing so while chatting on the phone or texting their friends. Do you think that “hmmmmm I wonder how long those dahsed lines are in the road?” crossed their mind let alone stopped the car, got out amidst traffic, grabbed their handy dandy tape measure and actually found out?
I would be happy to know that college kids just acknowledge there are lines in the road and they mean something.
Any conclusions drawn from querying drunk college students is whooey!
Don’t you realize that it’s because of those lines that it’s making us drive FASTER than it is safe and that’s why there are sooooooo many accidents which would result in sooooo many claims???!!!
Oh boy…..like I said….where do I apply for a job like THAT! I could be saving the insurance industry millions of dollars with THOSE statistics….what’s next, the length of off-ramps? :)
I’m in the process of forming a group to set up a committee to review the findings of this report. If you are interested in being a part of the group or the committee, please contact me by replying to this comment.
The guy that did the study is Dennis Shaffer shaffer.247@osu.edu. From 2000-2003 he was an assistant professor at ASU West, so he’s probably not the sharpest tool in the research lab cabinet.
“I’m in the process of forming a group to set up a committee to review the findings of this report. If you are interested in being a part of the group or the committee, please contact me by replying to this comment.
The guy that did the study is Dennis Shaffer shaffer.247@osu.edu. From 2000-2003 he was an assistant professor at ASU West, so he’s probably not the sharpest tool in the research lab cabinet.”
Seriously?! God we all need to quit spending so much time commenting on stupid IJ articles.
I’m guilty as well, I went to Ohio State’s website and that really is the guys email address. WTF?
They spent millions studying the effects of cow farts and burps on the environment
and are considering charging the farmers who raise cattle for dairy or beef a hefty
price for the gas that their cows release
into the environment. This will put more out of business and cause groceries to
go even higher.
Dashes on a road? As long as they do there job who cares how long they are perceived to be?
Well I figured they were just a bit shorter than the car not longer,but that all depends on what type of car you drive,& I’m driviving a smaller one now because of gas prices
There are a number of comments to the effect that we are actually driving more safely if we assume we are 8 feet back when we are actually 40 feet back. However, that would be the case only if we are counting the dashes. Is anyone really counting the dashes?
people are losing their homes and we’re studying those lines in the middle of the road?
no wonder the world thinks we’re crazy.
Wow, did these researchers miss the mark (so to speak). They completely ignored perspective and angle. The reason they are 10 feet long is so that they will LOOK 2 feet long when driving. Since the driver is looking at these from a “shallow” angle, they look short. That’s the point!! Being able to judge the distance (or length) when you are looking perpendicular is very diffent than when you are looking at a 60 degree down angle. When you see writing on the road, the letters are actually about 30 feet in height, but they don’t look that big because of the ANGLE. It’s not a psychological or distance judging issue, it’s a fact of angles.
I will join the committee… but only if we can hold it at a posh spa resort in California, all expenses paid, of course!
Wow the IJ is really reaching for topics these days. First the obama thing, now this??? How about some insurance related articles?
When I’m driving at 40 MPH, I know that I should be at least 4 car lengths behind the guy in front of me. Based on these findings, when I THINK I’m 4 car lengths back, I must ACTUALLY BE much farther away. Right?
hmm.. normal rule of thumb is that you should have two seconds of space between you and the person ahead of you on normal roads, and 4 seconds on the highways.
Exactly. Using the “10 ft. looks like 2 ft.” relationship, when I think I’m 4 car lengths back, I’m actually 20 car lengths back, or around 5 seconds. So while my rule-of-thumb appears reckless on the surface, it’s actually safer than the 2 (or 4) second rule.
As if I didn’t know who paid for it. Looks like a marvelous use of some tax dollars. Perhaps part of the bailout can include eduacating the public on the length of white lines as related to speed as related to safety, as related to fuel consumption as related to global warming. Clearly those white lines are causing global warming & must be elimiated.
… I see no actual evidence being cited that would indicate that “people are driving too fast” due to their spatial perception.
Simply stating that something is the case is not enough. Nice “reasearch conclusion”, jackasses. You haven’t proven anything about driving habits.
this utterly ridiculous article or all of US responding to it ??
ok… college kids have been driving for what? about 2-6 years? And most of that time doing so while chatting on the phone or texting their friends. Do you think that “hmmmmm I wonder how long those dahsed lines are in the road?” crossed their mind let alone stopped the car, got out amidst traffic, grabbed their handy dandy tape measure and actually found out?
I would be happy to know that college kids just acknowledge there are lines in the road and they mean something.
Any conclusions drawn from querying drunk college students is whooey!
OMG!Is this what us taxpayers are paying for now???!!! My husband lost his job after 31 faithful years with the same company……where can he apply?????
What the hell was that? I cant believe this made the national news….that I read the entire article….or that i am responding.
*sigh
Don’t you realize that it’s because of those lines that it’s making us drive FASTER than it is safe and that’s why there are sooooooo many accidents which would result in sooooo many claims???!!!
Oh boy…..like I said….where do I apply for a job like THAT! I could be saving the insurance industry millions of dollars with THOSE statistics….what’s next, the length of off-ramps? :)
Now I’m gonna wreck on the way home trying to look at the lines and spaces on the interstate. Is IJ’s insurance gonna cover that??!!?? ha ha!!
I’m in the process of forming a group to set up a committee to review the findings of this report. If you are interested in being a part of the group or the committee, please contact me by replying to this comment.
The guy that did the study is Dennis Shaffer shaffer.247@osu.edu. From 2000-2003 he was an assistant professor at ASU West, so he’s probably not the sharpest tool in the research lab cabinet.
“I’m in the process of forming a group to set up a committee to review the findings of this report. If you are interested in being a part of the group or the committee, please contact me by replying to this comment.
The guy that did the study is Dennis Shaffer shaffer.247@osu.edu. From 2000-2003 he was an assistant professor at ASU West, so he’s probably not the sharpest tool in the research lab cabinet.”
Seriously?! God we all need to quit spending so much time commenting on stupid IJ articles.
I’m guilty as well, I went to Ohio State’s website and that really is the guys email address. WTF?
How much are you paying??????
I heard about this pheominon years ago. At least 10.
But when i started reading, I was like duh, they are not 2 feet, I know this, they are like maybe 6 ft. Guess not.
Jen,
They spent millions studying the effects of cow farts and burps on the environment
and are considering charging the farmers who raise cattle for dairy or beef a hefty
price for the gas that their cows release
into the environment. This will put more out of business and cause groceries to
go even higher.
Dashes on a road? As long as they do there job who cares how long they are perceived to be?
I told my wife about this story last week, and she wanted me to pull over on the highway so she could get out and look.
And sarcastically said that she wanted to lay down next to the line to see how long it is.
Well I figured they were just a bit shorter than the car not longer,but that all depends on what type of car you drive,& I’m driviving a smaller one now because of gas prices
There are a number of comments to the effect that we are actually driving more safely if we assume we are 8 feet back when we are actually 40 feet back. However, that would be the case only if we are counting the dashes. Is anyone really counting the dashes?