Car boots are so unseemly, like wearing the ball and chain that was so fashionable in the British Empire during the 17th century. As highly modernized humanoids, we can do away with that and instead have this: a car blindfold.
Created by a company called Barnacle Parking, CityLab reports that the device, called the Barnacle, is a heavy duty plastic rectangle with suction cups on its underside that can attach to a windshield, effectively cutting off a driver’s visibility until they pay a fine over the phone and obtain a release code. After removing the Barnacle, they then have to return it to a drop-off location.
The device has a built-in anti-tamper alarm, so it will know if you’re trying to hack, yank, burn, jackhammer or scrape it off illegally. It will also know if you try to move your car while it is still attached. It has a GPS tracker, notes CityLab, in case anyone were to try and dispose of it in a river somewhere.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Allentown, Pennsylvania are the two U.S. cities testing out the Barnacle this year. Barnacle Parking says that its parking device is actually much safer for traffic officers to operate due to the ease and speed of its application and removal, especially during heavy traffic hours. It eliminates the need for the officer to kneel in the street like they would for a boot.
Plus, because the Barnacle is compact and easily stackable, they are easy to transport.
But what if your windshield is too small for the Barnacle? What if you get your windshield removed at your cousin’s shop and they dispose of the Barnacle for you? What if you drive through an EMP, are somehow able to restart your car, but the Barnacle is scrambled? What then?
These are questions that need to be explored further.
(h/t CREATIVE ACCIDENTS)