Don’t Hurry, Be Happy

There is a sign up north on Crystal Lake Drive that we pass a lot. It says “Don’t Hurry, Be Happy” painted in hand script black paint on a fun orange board. It is followed by five to ten other attempts to get people to slow down, the first and most obvious sign being:

• Slow Down
• Speed Limit 35 MPH
• Children at Play
• Creepy green alien dude holding a flag
• Annie get your gun! We’ve got a live one!

Thank goodness we don’t pass the last one or my other nemesis, the speed camera sign flashing incessantly when you break code by 1 mph. But you know what? Those radar signs work at least on me and everyone else I see that pass them, then slow down to posted confinement.

My friend Matt and I got into a little chat over Don’t Hurry, Be Happy. He pointed out that most people will see “slow down” and think that doesn’t apply to me. How do they know how fast I’m going? I’m going the same speed I always go down this street which is perfectly fine. Slow down, meh. That other guy should slow down. I saw him flying up this road yesterday. Tell me to slow down? Tell him to slow down. Put a sign up, they think they can control everybody. Why do they care if I’m going 5 mph over the speed limit? Do they have a dog they can’t control either? Now I’ve gotta worry about their dog coming into the road! I’ll show them slow down. Goose the gas.

The debate for what works led me to this story on the BBC yesterday: “Belgium: ‘Selfie traffic signs’ slow speeding drivers.” Belgium apparently already uses smiley faces to show happy if you are within the limit and sad if you are over, and consequently may get nailed by a ticketing camera. Now, they’ve stepped it up. They’ve asked users to upload selfies, one happy, one sad that will be displayed on these interactive speed signs.

“There has been huge public support for efforts to tackle speeding on Belgium’s roads. In April, tens of thousands of people responded to a call for ideas on where to place speed cameras ahead of a marathon speed crackdown by police. Campaigners say 300 people die in Belgium every year because of speeding.”

With this campaign, they have successfully brought a personal community touch to an otherwise robotic police act. I like it. If it’s enough to slow down people who grump their way through life and are never happy, well that remains to be seen.