Sneak Preview: Mexico's 'Smart' speed bumps

There's nothing I love more than having a little downtime and hitting the 'open highway'. You know what I mean, living life. It's a chance to eject my daughter's Jonas Brothers c.d., pop in my AC/DC classics, and start reminiscing about the 'good old days'.

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For a brief moment, with the wind in my hair, I forget about the wife and kids and feel like the hot latino wonder I always knew I was back in the late '80's. It's all good, life is sweet, until...... getting jolted back to reality with an all too familiar CRACK, BANG, POP!!!

Chingados! I just mowed an imfamous Mexican speed bump, again. Actually, I should have known better, but still I can't help but curse as I pull over to check how much damage I did this time to my wife's minivan. After a quick look I turn off AC/DC and slowly drive away wondering if the full coverage warranty that comes with Chevrolet shocks might possibly cover reckless stupidity.

Speed bumps are so common here that residents sometimes decorate them for the holidays, painting "Happy New Year" or "Happy Independence Day." One rock band, The Sam-Sam, even has dedicated a song to them.

Yet concerns over the environment — and the utter annoyance of having to brake and accelerate frequently — have prompted one Mexican state government to embrace a "smart" speed bump that could make driving smoother, without sacrificing safety.

-USA TODAY

My gleeful little hops back to the 'yester years' may not be important to Mexico, but both pollution and fuel economizing are. With that in mind, Mexico based Decano Industries has recently announced it's prototype for the smart speed bump.

The technology is relatively basic: The speed bump is formed by two steel plates that form a triangle sticking out of the pavement. When a car tire touches the plate, a patented device under the triangle measures the force of the impact.

If the tire's impact is gentle enough — that is, if the vehicle is traveling slowly — both plates immediately collapse into the ground under the weight of the car.

-Carlos Cano, President of Decano Industries

Although other countries are working on similar devices, Decano's developing country smart speed bump has enough potential for the government of Mexico state to offer up grant money and legal assistance in it's patenting.

In downtown Mexico City alone there are over 18,000 speed bumps, and let me tell you, they're not smart. You might ask 'Why so many?' To make a long answer short: unequipped and/or lazy cops and idiots like me.

Speed bumps are especially popular in Mexico because few police officers are able or willing to enforce traffic laws, says José Luis Camba, a civil engineer and professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

"So the government takes the easy way out and builds a speed bump," Camba says. "Or sometimes neighbors just get so frustrated that they build one themselves. It's a symptom of a lack of respect for the law." -USA TODAY

So there you have it folks, the smart speed bump. Not only will it save gas and reduce pollution, but according to Decano Industries' President Cano "With this speed bump, people will feel rewarded for obeying the law."

I'm not sure how rewarded I'll feel when I hit one, but I'm gonna' go ahead and give this little green genius two thumbs up.