Dummy police taken off Vietnam streets

By Cuu Long   July 11, 2016 | 02:15 am PT
Careless drivers no longer face the risk of being pulled over by a sheet of plastic in southern Vietnam.

Can Tho City has removed the cutouts of police that helped transform a district with the most traffic-related deaths into the one with the least.

dummy-police-taken-off-vietnam-streets

A human-sized police cutout stands along a highway in Thot Not District. Photo by VnExpress/Cuu Long

The Road Safety Commission in Thot Not District in the Mekong Delta city said its staff removed all 12 cutouts of policemen holding speed guns set up at accident hotspots along Highway 80 and Highway 91.

According to a traffic police chief in the district, the cutouts only tricked strangers now because locals have wised up.

The cutouts also show signs of wear and tear after being in the field for so long, and the official design of a traffic police uniform have already changed since June 6.

According to the Road Safety Commission, these cutouts proved an effective way of educating and raising public awareness of road safety, leading to a decrease in all kinds of traffic violations.

This June, Thot Not District recorded the lowest number of accidents and deaths in the city. In early 2015, it had the highest number of traffic-related deaths. 

The district’s traffic police came up with the idea of installing cardboard cutouts in an attempt to educate the people. 12 cardboard cutouts made of plastic and polystyrene at a cost of VND40 million (US$1,794) were installed.

 
 
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