Long dividing lines, wide lanes, and clear vistas help reinforce the illusion that drivers are traveling at a reasonable pace along a highway, even if that velocity is incredibly high compared to the speeds at which humans historically moved through the world. Visual cues can not only make higher speeds feel normal, they can encourage drivers to speed up. This phenomenon isn’t only limited to lines—the presence or absence of objects alongside a road can change drivers’ perceptions of time and distance and inform their sense of speed.
