Police in Belarus have employed a novel way of reinforcing to drivers the need to look out for cyclists – by staging a fake collision scene, with a mangled bike and a dummy standing in for an unconscious cyclist, complete with fake blood.
186 motorists passed by the incident but only nine stopped to see if the cyclist was alright.
A local traffic official said the “Don’t Look the Other Way!” road safety campaign came about because the road in question carries a higher number of trucks, creating a great danger for cyclists.
Among those who stopped were a couple who offered to drive the the mannequin to hospital, telling officers they were not worried about getting blood on their back seat. “Human life is precious, and you can always wash your seat covers,” driver Grigory Yevgenievich reportedly said.
Another person reversed back after realising what he had seen, and five others reported the incident to the next traffic checkpoint. Everyone who stopped received a gift of a licence-plate frame and calendar.
