Traffic Offenders Penalized with Gaming in Colombia
Medellin, the third-largest city in Colombia, is notorious for its chaotic traffic conditions. In order to discipline traffic violators, local police have devised a public education game activity centered around traffic rules.
This activity resembles the childhood game “hopscotch.” Punished drivers must hop around on a colorful mat adorned with various traffic signs according to the whistle commands issued by traffic police.
As the traffic police whistle speeds up, the penalized drivers must accelerate their jumps on the mat, all while avoiding mistakes. The “game” continues until the violator is sweating profusely and can proficiently master various traffic signs.
License Plates Born Out of Love
In the first few decades after the invention of cars, there were no license plates. In 1910, Rudolf Herzog, a wealthy businessman in Berlin, Germany, drove a car adorned with the letters “IA1” to attend a dinner party.
At that time, there were not many vehicles in Berlin, making it easy for people to recognize who was driving which car. Rudolf Herzog’s car caused a sensation, and the attendees at the dinner party rushed to see what was going on. Following that event, Herzog decided to create a special sign to make his car more easily identifiable.
He approached a local blacksmith and designed an iron sign with the inscription “IA1” (I for Berlin, A for the first letter of Herzog’s surname, and 1 for the first rank).
Traffic Lights Originated from Women’s Fashion
It is said that the two types of traffic signal lights, red and green, first appeared in 19th-century England. At that time, in York, England, many women used red or green attire to signify their status.
Among them, women wearing red attire conveyed the message, “I am married, please do not court me.” Unmarried women, on the other hand, typically dressed in green attire.
In light of incidents involving carriage accidents causing harm in British cities, the British government, based on the meaning of women’s red and green attire, installed two gas lamps as signals on the road in front of the London Parliament building in 1868: the red light indicated prohibition of passage, while the green light indicated permission to proceed.
This measure proved highly effective, and indeed, traffic accidents significantly decreased. Therefore, after the advent of automobiles in 1886, traffic lights gained more recognition and adoption by many countries.
