Statistics show that almost 75% of road accidents happen late at night. In Bombay and other cities, people drive recklessly after midnight because they know traffic police are off duty. These types of accidents increase dramatically during the Christmas holidays and other festivals. Hindustan Times, our client, teamed up with Mumbai Police to reduce the incidents of rash driving during Christmas and New Year's Eve.

Our insight was simple: people obey traffic rules if they think they will be caught and prosecuted by the cops. The fear of immediate punishment and penalty is higher than the theoretical risk posed by driving dangerously.

Our solution was just as simple. Mannequins dressed as traffic police officers were strategically placed at major junctions before New Year's Eve. Drivers, mistaking the dummies for real officers, instinctively slowed down. This led to a significant decrease in rash driving and a safer New Year's Eve.

The success of this initiative prompted Mumbai traffic police to permanently install dummy traffic cops at key locations throughout the city, including the Bandra-Kurla sea link.