A video has resurfaced showing multi-coloured laser lights beaming from the top of a gantry on a motorway in China, with social media users comparing the sight to a level in Mario Kart
Chinese road safety authorities have come up with a unique solution to the issue of drivers dozing off at the wheel, but not everyone is convinced.
They’ve installed far-reaching flashing light displays known as “high speed anti-fatigue laser lights” on motorways in an attempt to keep drivers awake during night-time journeys.
The lights seem to project around 2 kilometres ahead. A video of these lights supposedly in action has recently resurfaced after being shared by a user known as Science Girl on X (formerly Twitter) on November 6.
Originally recorded on October 31 last year, the footage shows red, green and blue laser lights shining repeatedly from the top of a gantry on the 1,600-km-long Qingdao-Yinchuan Expressway, which links the coastal city of Qingdao with Ningxia in north-central China. She wrote: “A video captured on the Qingdao-Yinchuan Expressway displays vibrant laser lights hovering above the vehicles. Mr Li, the person behind the camera, reported that these laser lights designed to combat fatigue quickly revitalised him and reduced his exhaustion during a prolonged nighttime.”
Since Science Girl’s repost, it has racked up over 68 million views. X users were quick to compare the colourful lights to the Rainbow Road track from the Mario Kart racing game series. “The Rainbow Road is real,” one user joked.
However, most viewers reacted negatively, suggesting that the laser lights might be too distracting and could potentially put drivers in danger. One X user said: “Whose genius idea is it to blind the drivers? Congrats, those who aren’t sleepy are now disoriented.”
Another user agreed: “I would be too busy staring at the lights and [may] wind up wrecking [my car]”.
A third user joked: “Can’t fall asleep if you’re in the middle of a seizure”, highlighting the risk of triggering epileptic seizures in people who are sensitive to flashing lights. Despite the Shandong Highway Traffic Police Division’s assurances to local media that the light displays were thoroughly tested and do not impede safe driving, it is unclear whether the footage is genuine or has been manipulated.
