At high speed in slippery bends they provide only a few square centimetres of contact with the road, yet they help a driver steer safely around the corner.
“Never mind the slippery reality it portrays, ” she writes, “the spell of its otters took hold of me long ago and I still long to see one in the wild.”
So, while they don't threaten people with pain, their bodies can cover window sills and streets and gas stations, creating stinky, slippery hazards for people passing by.
The company spent the last five years developing solar panels that are only about a quarter of inch thick and are strong enough to stand up to heavy highway traffic without breaking or making the roads more slippery.
Some experts believe it's a slippery slope, and not just the discretionary power of who else could be flagged in the future, but one method being used to enforce it, even if it is legal.