VietNamNet Bridge – Can Tho placed traffic police dummies holding speed-measuring devices along dangerous roads in Thot Not District last month to slow down drivers.

Can Tho placed traffic police dummies holding speed-measuring devices along dangerous roads in Thot Not District last month to slow down drivers. — Photo dantri.com.vn

The twelve life-sized dummies were installed at crossroads, intersections and in crowded areas after the district ranked first across the city in number of traffic accidents in the first half of the year, said Le Viet Trung, head of the district's traffic police.

Nine traffic accidents killed 10 people and injured five in the first six months of the year in Thot Not District, according to statistics from the city's Traffic Safety Committee. This was between three and five times higher than in other districts.

The model has shown its effectiveness. Nguyen Van Tuan, who drives a car, told online newspaper Vnexpress that he was driving fast in the wrong lane when he suddenly saw a dummy and, thinking it was a cop, slowed down.

Le Quoc Phong, a resident of the district's Trung Kien Ward, said the stretch of National Highway 91 in front of his house attracted lots of traffic accidents.

Teenagers raced at night illegally along the street, he said.

"But accidents have been reduced since the dummies were introduced," he said.

The dummies were installed as part of the city's programme to educate and improve public awareness about obeying traffic rules. The city would hold a meeting to discuss the pilot programme in Thot Not District before expanding it to the rest of the city, Trung said.

VNS