Picture: swns.com
Residents of a village in the north east of Scotland have come up with a novel idea in their efforts to deter speeding drivers.
Villagers in the town of Hopeman, Moray, are dressing in fluorescent jackets and pointing hairdryers at cars to mimic police officers and encourage motorists to slow down.
The initiative has caught the attention of the national press, and was featured in a BBC News report on 23 February.
Residents told the BBC that they fear someone could be seriously injured or killed by speeding drivers, with cars reaching speeds of up to 60mph as they travel through the area.
Cllr Dennis Slater, who lives in Hopeman, told BBC Scotland: “It’s very dangerous, the speed that the traffic is doing through Hopeman is quite serious, especially when the kids are going to school in the morning – it’s quite alarming.
“This is why some of the residents have resorted to taking out hairdryers and putting on hi-vis vests to try to slow the traffic down.
“We don’t like to be seen standing with hairdryers and hi-vis vests, we are trying to emphasise to people the desperate situation.
“Please slow down going through our community.”
In a statement to BBC Scotland, Police Scotland said: “Road safety is a priority for Police Scotland, particularly for North East division.
“We are aware of complaints regarding speeding in Hopeman, which we are continuing to address.
“This aligns with one of our divisional priorities and supports Operation Cedar, which concentrates on reducing the number of serious and fatal road traffic incidents within the North East area.”
Want to know more about speed and road safety?
Online library of research and reports etc – visit the Road Safety Knowledge Centre
Key facts and summaries of research reports – visit the Road Safety Observatory
Even on the drier’s ‘HIGH’ setting, it’ll take more than one to create enough headwind to slow a car down.
Herr Dryer
0