New York City subway conductors are legally required to point at a black-and-white zebra-striped board mounted on the station wall every single time they pull in.

A closer look

New York City subway conductors are legally required to point at a black-and-white zebra-striped board mounted on the station wall every single time they pull in. This peculiar mandate was implemented in the early 2000s to ensure the driver is awake, paying attention, and has stopped the train at the exact right position so the doors open onto the platform instead of into a dark abyss. If they fail to point at the magical wooden plank, they can be severely reprimanded or suspended. It is a wonderfully low-tech solution in a multibillion-dollar transit system, relying entirely on the honor system of a deeply fatigued city worker making a literal hand gesture at a piece of wood to guarantee that hundreds of commuting mortals do not plummet onto the third rail during their morning rush hour