This is being done in Paris, France:
From DIY Photography:
BILLBOARD SHOOTS PHOTOS OF TERRIFIED JAYWALKERS AFTER SCARING THEM WITH TIRE SCREECHING SOUNDS
Billboards are often ignored. You can walk past a hundred of them in a day and not remember what a single one of them was promoting. We just kind of tune them out. This one in France, however, is a little difficult to ignore. Especially if you’re crossing the street when you’re not paying attention.
The billboard has sensors which monitor for people crossing the road when they’re not supposed to. It plays a loud tire screeching sound making the hapless wanderer believe their life is in danger. It then snaps a photo of the terrified pedestrian and puts it on the billboard. The goal is to raise awareness for the dangers of being a careless pedestrian.
They say that such carelessness results in 4,500 victims each year in the Paris region alone. Alongside their photo is a caption which reads something to the effect of “Don’t risk staring death in the face. Pay attention to the traffic lights.” Seeing a photo of yourself with a genuine reaction, that look of shock and horror on your face is certainly bound to make an impact. Metaphorically speaking.
4,500 accidents each year. The initial development cost would have been a bit high but once done, these should be fairly cheap to deploy. Brilliant solution to a real problem.
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