‘No Road Rules’ Policy Gets Rid of Traffic Accidents

Since the town of Bohmte, Germany implemented a radical new anti-traffic control procedure a month ago, there hasn’t been a single accident on the busy roads.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on June 25 2008

---

Imagine a town with no traffic lights, no stop signs - not even a pedestrian crosswalk.

Sound like a recipe for bumper-to-bumper traffic and constant fender-benders? Think again: Since the town of Bohmte, Germany implemented this radical new anti-traffic control procedure a month ago, there hasn’t been a single accident on the busy roads.

Before the new road rules came into action, the town’s busy streets were home to at least one serious collision every week, and countless minor traffic infractions. The new policy, funded by a £1.8 million grant from the European Union, was an experiment to see if drivers and pedestrians might be better behaved if the government wasn’t telling them what to do on the road. Now, there are only two steady rules in place: The maximum speed limit throughout the town is 30 miles an hour, and everyone must yield to the right.

By all accounts, the new program has been a raving success. Rather than paying attention to road signs and signals, drivers and walkers can simply pay attention to what their fellow road-sharers are doing, making things run more smoothly for everyone involved.

“Politeness pays,” the town mayor, Klaus Goedejohann, told the Daily Mail. “We have proved that.’”

Filed under: General Interest, Weird,

---

Liked this? You'll love these, too:

• 

  5 Famous Films Recreated with Lego Animation

  Legos are America's favorite toy. Check out five incredible videos using Legos to reenact famous movies and pop culture icons. Read More

• 

  Zoo Hires Olympic Gymnast to Teach Orangutans How to Swing

  Most monkeys naturally know how to swing -- but when orangutans at Ouwehands Dierenpark Rhenen were having trouble, the zoo hired gymnast Epke Zonderland to help them. Read More

• 

  Mattieu de Quillaco Flies DIY Helicopter from France to US

  A Frenchman built his own helicopter and flew it to Oshkosh, Wisconsin for the AirVenture aviation event. Read More

• 

  Secret Agent L’s Mission: Random Acts of Kindness

  Laura Miller, an administrative assistant from Pittsburgh, has created a blog to share her random acts of kindness with readers -- and more than 80 have joined in, spreading compassion across the globe. Read More

• 

  Superman Saves Family from Foreclosure

  A chance discovery of Superman's debut, Action Comics 1, helped a family avoid foreclosure on their home. Read More