Skip to main content

Russian road safety

A rather unusual and somewhat controversial road safety campaign is being used in parts of Russia. Scantily dressed women wearing a minimum of provocative wear are being paid to stand by the roadside holding speed limit signs. This approach is being organised by the Russian road safety charity Avtodrizhenia and is said to be highly effective at encouraging male drivers to slow down. There have been no incidences of driver distraction so far and the results for road safety have in fact been positive, with (m
January 27, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
A rather unusual and somewhat controversial road safety campaign is being used in parts of Russia. Scantily dressed women wearing a minimum of provocative wear are being paid to stand by the roadside holding speed limit signs. This approach is being organised by the Russian road safety charity Avtodrizhenia and is said to be highly effective at encouraging male drivers to slow down. There have been no incidences of driver distraction so far and the results for road safety have in fact been positive, with (male) drivers slowing down. The road safety campaign has been trialled successfully at a noted blackspot for crashes, close to a pedestrian crossing in Severny village, in Russia’s central Nizhny Novgorod region. Russia’s road deaths stand at around 30,000/year so reducing the fatality rate is a key target, even if unconventional methods are required.

Related Content

  • Road safety improving, but vulnerable road users need protection
    January 11, 2013
    Preliminary data from France over the number of fatalities on the road network reveal safety improvements during 2012. The numbers killed dropped by 7-8%, although the final figures for December are not yet available. The preliminary figures suggest that around 3,600-3,700 were killed on French roads in 2012, compared with 3,970 in 2011. This reduction is in line with targets on cutting the death rate and Ministry of the Interior wants to bring the fatality rate to just 2,000 by 2020. This reduction has bee
  • Bangkok biker safety programme unveiled
    July 26, 2016
    The authorities in Thai capital Bangkok are launching a new mass media campaign aimed at increasing awareness around helmet use. This is a critical road safety issue in a country where over 60% of motorists use motorcycles. In collaboration with Vital Strategies and the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), Bangkok’s campaign will encourage motorcyclists to wear helmets. The campaign will also encourage powered two wheeler riders to properly fasten helmet buckles, a key compone
  • ERF sets out sign inspection guidelines
    December 27, 2024
    The European Union Road Federation suggests that its checklist - downloadable for free - is included in any existing tools for road safety inspection and audits that road agencies may have.
  • Better road safety reduces Europe’s casualty figures
    April 1, 2014
    Improving road safety in the EU has resulted in a drop in the fatality rate. Official figures just released show that the number of people killed on Europe's roads fell by 8% in 2013. This follows on from the drop in fatalities of between 2011 and 2012. These provisional figures released by the European Commission provide grounds for optimism and Antonio Avenoso, executive director of the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) said, “We welcome the reduction in the number of road deaths in Europe last yea