Though a simple concept, we’re willing to bet you don’t know the whole story about speed bumps. Slow down and take in these interesting facts.

Drivers who speed through parking lots are apt to get a surprise they won’t soon forget: the jolt of running over a speed bump. Designed to slow the speed of traffic and improve the safety of public roadways, the devices are a common part of our public spaces. At Tucker Paving, installing speed bumps in public spaces is a usual part of our asphalt and concrete paving services. While you likely wouldn’t give them much thought, there are some interesting facts about them that you may not know.

Speed Bump: What They Don’t Teach You in Driver’s Ed

  • They Have Many Names
    Speed bumps are used all around the world, and each area has its own name for these raised bumps made out of concrete, asphalt, metal, plastic, or even rubber. In Great Britain, they are known as “sleeping police officers” for their shape and their ability to slow traffic. Similarly, in Argentina, they are known as “lomos de burros,” or “donkey’s backs.” And in New Zealand, they call the jarring speed deterrents “judder bars.”
  • They Have a Connection to the Nobel Prize
    The concept behind speed bumps—safety for pedestrians and drivers alike—is a good one, but it didn’t win a Nobel Prize. However, they were invented by renowned physicist Arthur Holly Compton, who won the Nobel Prize in 1927 for his work in electromagnetic theory.
  • They Come in a Variety of Forms
    Speed bumps come in a variety of materials and an array of shapes in sizes. At Tucker Paving, we specialize in asphalt and concrete. Large, wide speed bumps are actually called speed humps, and those with long flat middle sections are called speed tables, for instance. There are also speed cushions, which are small bumps with spaces that allow wide vehicles like buses and ambulances to avoid the bumps. Technology has even made a difference in speed bumps, with dynamic speed bumps sensing the movement of passing vehicles and reacting if the vehicles are traveling at too high a speed.

At Tucker Paving, we are constantly awed by the versatility of asphalt and concrete as paving surfaces, especially when safety is a factor. Contact us using our online form or by calling 863-299-2262 for your next paving project.