Speed fiends in Israel are in for a rough ride. Defence researchers have
鈥渋mproved鈥 a traffic-calming road hump. Conventional humps are made of concrete
or asphalt, and make a car bounce even if it鈥檚 travelling within the speed
limit. The new hump is made of rubber, with a sealed air chamber connected to
the atmosphere by two valved vents (GB 2 336 867). Both valves let air in, but
only one lets it out. The weight of a car forces air out of the one-way valve.
If the car is driving slowly, the hump has time to collapse into a near-flat
surface. But if the car is driving fast, the air cannot escape fast enough to
flatten the hump and the errant driver gets a severe shake.
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