The motto, they say, “is to increase the attention of drivers through not so bright, flat and slanting patterns of Zebra Crossings which could grab the attention for more safety.” A simple innovation, but an effective one at that.

The state of India’s roads is such that, over 139,671 people lost their lives due to accidents during 2014 alone. That is more than the total number of people killed in all the wars the country has fought till date. According to data widely available in the public domain, there is one death every four minutes due to road accidents in India. That is 382 deaths every day.

The numbers at any given rate are staggering and given that there is little done to prevent this menace, it is also treacherous.

So, what do we do to make our roads safe? This mother-daughter duo from Gujarat seems to have figured out a way.

Saumya Pandya Thakkar and Shakuntala Pandya from Ahmedabad have designed a 3D zebra crossing that they hope will reduce road-related accidents and allow pedestrians to safely cross the road.

This is how it works. Their 3-dimensional painting gives the drivers the illusion of being a road block ahead, thus making them slow down their vehicles. The motto, they say, “is to increase the attention of drivers through not so bright, flat and slanting patterns of Zebra Crossings which could grab the attention for more safety.” A simple innovation, but an effective one at that.

But will it not lead to sudden breaking in daytime or at night? No says Saumya, who writes on her Facebook post that, “on the actual spot, the design is just mild slanting strips with micro 3D effects mainly considering the safety of the drivers.”

She continues that the “human vision can see only 2D designs. 3D Floor artwork could be seen perfectly only through a camera from a certain angle and not through human eye-sight. Thus, it is just slanting lines with minor 3D effect and dull colors on the road from driver’s sight which ensures the safety. Humans can see 3D wall paintings but cannot see perfect 3D floor artwork without camera vision. The 3D artwork does not create the illusion by eye view but increases the attention by seeing new strips on the road.”

The duo says that the authorities have already tested the effects at Ahmedabad- Mehsana Highway and have approved it as a successful concept till now. They now plan to implement this concept at all the intersections all over the state.