Cops in San Francisco are donning Halloween costumes in an attempt to stop drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians.
The stunt sees officers dress up in ridiculous outfits to see how many motorists spot them and allow them to pass.
On one occasion, Lt. Jonathan Ozol wore an inflatable chicken suit while attempting to cross a busy intersection.
If they failed to do so, he then signaled to cops stationed along the road who would pull the driver over and issued a fine of up to $400.
‘If you don’t see someone in a giant chicken costume, then we really have a problem,’ Ozol told SF Gate.
But he explained that the scheme is not about issuing tickets or hitting quotas.
‘One more person that yields, that’s one more person that’s safe,’ he added.
The force have had similar success using other costumes such as Big Bird from Sesame Street and unicorns.
‘Drivers seem more aware, more cognizant,’ Ozol said. ‘Certainly when they see the chicken.’
The operation sees an officer enter the cross walk when vehicles are around 200 feet away.
Ozol said that during just 30 minutes last Monday, he managed to pull over eight drivers for failing to yield.
Police captain Amy Hurwitz says the colorful costumes ensure there should be no excuses.
‘I don’t want them to get run over,’ Hurwitz said. ‘But the costume is so bright, it’s like, how can you miss it?’
Among those killed so far this year were three victims from the same family who were hit by an SUV while at a bus stop
So far this year, 15 pedestrians have been killed on the roads in San Francisco, according to city’s data.
Among those killed were three members of the same family, who died in March after a Mercedes SUV plowed into them at a bus stop.
Two of the victims, a father, 40 and his one-year-old child, were pronounced dead at the scene of the tragedy in the West Portal section of the city.
Three others were rushed a to a local hospital where another victim where the child’s mother, 38, was pronounced dead.
California Vehicle Code 21950 states that drivers must yield to those on foot.
‘The driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, except as otherwise provided in this chapter,’ the statue says.
However, pedestrians are still required to apply due care and attention.
‘No pedestrian may suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle that is so close as to constitute an immediate hazard,’ the law states.
‘No pedestrian may unnecessarily stop or delay traffic while in a marked or unmarked crosswalk.’