TRIZ Challenge - May 2001

We challenge you to use your TRIZ skills and your knowledge to help solve a humanitarian or social problem. We hope that you will submit your results for publication in the TRIZ journal. Every few months we will set a new challenge - but that does not mean that you cannot continue to work on previous challenges, indeed you may have chosen to work on this for your project or coursework.

Send your results, ideas, comments and suggestions for future challenges to challenge@triz-journal.com.

This month is a social challenge to get people to use their vehicles in a way acceptable to everyone.

We all know the problem of speeding drivers, they go too fast down our street. There is never a speed trap there when you need it!

We all like the freedom that our cars give us, it is nice to drive (fast) down the freeway with the top down. It is not always sensible, nor safe for us or others if we do this - but if it is safe to do so, then why not?

How would you persuade drivers to keep to a sensible speed, whilst not impeding their progress when driving within the legal limits? How do we decide what is a sensible speed and at what level the legal limit should be set at?

Is your answer the same if you are the only person driving on the road, compared with children walking to school in the morning?

Given that one day we will run out of fossil fuels, does this influence your choice of maximum speed?

Can we travel without our car, but still experience the same freedom to travel when we want to?

Can we drive as fast as we want, whilst respecting other road users, surrounding properties, pedestrians, cyclists, and the environment?