'Zebra' crossing in Moscow

Moscow - Motorists in Moscow may have been surprised to see “zebras” walking back and forth on zebra crossings at busy intersections.

The zebras were actually grey horses painted with black stripes as part of the traffic police's "Safe zebra crossings" campaign. The animals had signs on their backs saying: “Careful, children are on their way to school.” Crossings are often not respected in Moscow, resulting in many deaths every year. According to an Associated Press article, drivers said that it is often too dangerous to stop because the car behind them would not do so. During the first six months of this year, there were 378 people killed and more than 6,600 injured on pedestrian crossings in Russia, reported The Telegraph. Forty three of those were killed in Moscow. Some of the accidents are the fault of pedestrians who do not look for traffic before stepping off curbs. Beginning in November, the law will require motorists to stop for people who have just stepped onto the road with the intention of crossing, as well as those already in the crossing.