Probably the best road safety campaign ever has taken place in Severny village, in the central Nizhny Novgorod region, Russia, where topless women used their bodies to force drivers to slow down. The half-unclad beauties were carrying 60km and 40km speed limit signs along the side of the road at accident blackspots. The idea first appeared three years ago but was implemented in life only now.
The head of the regional police press service commented on the rather odd campaign:
“We have organised similar installations this and last year trying to make the drivers obey the speed limit. But I must say our girls were dressed more than these women.”
Surprisingly but the initiative was backed by elderly pedestrians, who are often frightened to cross the road even at pedestrian crossing.
One of them said:
“Drivers do not let us cross. Some of them do but many others just fly past. They even shout at us – ‘why are you walking here?’ Can you believe it?”
By the way, the topless method seems to be working as there were no reports of accidents caused by drivers being distracted.
The organisers explain it by the fact that “most speeding drivers, the majority of whom happened to be men, slowed down to admire the female road safety assistants.” A male driver said:
“It’s super thing, amazing. I’d like to see more of this by the road, and yes I looked at speed limit sign this time. It will teach other drivers too.”
Russia has one of the highest annual road traffic fatality rates — 30,000 a year, it is currently the highest in Europe.