A Cow Catcher for People

When the automobile started taking over the streets, people were justifiably afraid of getting hit by one. In response, a device was tested in England in the 1930s that acted as a "cow catcher" for humans. Just a flick of the switch, and the Safety Scoop deployed and scooped up the pedestrian before he knows what hit him. Literally.

I'm sure you have the same thought I did upon seeing this. If the driver sees a person in the road in front of him, why wouldn't he just hit the brake instead of the device switch? That eventually occurred to motorists, too, because the device never did catch on. At Atlas Obscura, you can read more about the Safety Scoop and see a gif of another such device from 1927.