Photo: cnn.com
One Australian cop hid in the bushes on the median of a highway in the hope of catching speedsters with his radar gun, but the Canadian police have him beat at this game: they will be using cutouts to the same end.
Life-size cutouts made to look like real cops will be displayed at key points in Lloydminster, Alberta, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirm for CNN. The cutouts are made of an aluminum composite and show an officer of the law with a hi-vis vest and a radar gun in hand. Each cost $350 or $500 Canadian, and will be part of a new trial that kicks off in the first week of June.
According to the media outlet, even though the idea might sound silly, its intended goal is anything but. Hopefully, using the “scarecrow” cops will allow the real cops to “catch speeders, decrease car collisions and improve overall traffic safety.”
Inspired by a similar project in Coquitlam, British Columbia – aptly called “Constable Scarecrow” - the cutouts will be played at key points across town: school areas, busy intersections or points with the highest number of accidents. When word spreads that the cop there isn’t a real one, the cutout is moved to another location. Bottom line: drivers will never know for sure whether they’re seeing the cutout or the actual, living and breathing officer.
“We'll start the program in the first week of June by putting the scarecrows in a local school zone,” Constable Michael Hagel tells CNN. “Our main goal is to improve traffic safety.”
Hagel says that the best way to achieve that goal is to “nudge” drivers into following the law. CNN notes that the “Constable Scarecrow” helped cut down the number of drivers caught speeding by 50 percent in British Columbia and the RCMP are hoping for similar, if not better, results.
According to the media outlet, even though the idea might sound silly, its intended goal is anything but. Hopefully, using the “scarecrow” cops will allow the real cops to “catch speeders, decrease car collisions and improve overall traffic safety.”
Inspired by a similar project in Coquitlam, British Columbia – aptly called “Constable Scarecrow” - the cutouts will be played at key points across town: school areas, busy intersections or points with the highest number of accidents. When word spreads that the cop there isn’t a real one, the cutout is moved to another location. Bottom line: drivers will never know for sure whether they’re seeing the cutout or the actual, living and breathing officer.
“We'll start the program in the first week of June by putting the scarecrows in a local school zone,” Constable Michael Hagel tells CNN. “Our main goal is to improve traffic safety.”
Hagel says that the best way to achieve that goal is to “nudge” drivers into following the law. CNN notes that the “Constable Scarecrow” helped cut down the number of drivers caught speeding by 50 percent in British Columbia and the RCMP are hoping for similar, if not better, results.
Google News