NU# 5 New Products/Product Improvements - Jenny Liquete

Ateneo Innovation and Entrepreneurship "New ideas create more and better new products and services; create more wealth."

NU# 5 New Products/Product Improvements - Jenny Liquete

Statement-Indicator LED

It is impossible to avoid road rage in the streets especially if the attitude of the drivers are similar to those in Metro Manila. It is usual that someone cuts, overtakes, or swerves without signal. Many get violent when this happens. Some chase the cars who cut them and there are also few instances where the fight ends up with someone shooting the driver of the other car. The problem with this is that the driver who committed the offense does not have any chance to apologize for his actions until he comes face to face with the angry driver of the other car.

One example is when I was going to Ateneo. There was a large truck speeding and trying to take our lane. We got very angry and did not allow the truck to overtake us. We sped and came face to face with the truck driver. When we got the chance to see the driver, he gestured a sincere apology and our anger immediately went away.

Unfortunately, not all drivers have the patience to see an apology when they are already face-to-face with the other driver. Their anger has already bottled up by the time the other driver gets his chance to apologize. If only the driver who made the offense give an evident apology to the other driver right after he committed the offense, violence and crimes due to road rage will be greatly reduced.

There are also some instances wherein a good Samaritan allows you to go ahead of him despite the traffic and inconvenience it will cause him. It is a usual gesture to beep the horn as a way to give gratitude to the good Samaritan but there are times when the driver has to hurry and cannot beep his horn anymore. It is a wonderful feeling when other drivers appreciate the good deed you made. It also encourages us to do more good deeds to other drivers.

These needs led me to the idea of a “statement-indicator LED” that will already be a part of the vehicle. Two buttons will be added in the dashboard of vehicle – one will trigger the LED to flash “Sorry!” and the other button will trigger the LED to flash “Thank you!”. The LED will be transparent so that it will not be visible when not in use. This will maintain the design of the vehicle. 4

The “Sorry!” LED will help prevent road rages of other drivers because it will not let the anger build up. The other driver will automatically know that the offensive driver is conscious of his actions and is apologetic. The “Thank you!” LED will be more convenient for the other drivers to give gratitude to the good Samaritan. It will also increase the chance that the good Samaritan will continue his positive actions. This “statement-indicator LED” will significantly improve the attitude of the drivers and greatly reduce the roadrage and violence recurring in our streets.