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December 2, 2008 8:43:52 PM CST

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Accidents Drop After Town Pulls Traffic Lights

Posted Sep 13, 08 6:29 PM CDT in World,  Arts & Living 

(Newser) – Would life be better without stop lights? The people of Bohmte, Germany think so. The little town has not only removed traffic lights from its busy main drag, but curbs and crosswalks as well. All that’s left is one simple rule: Yield to the person on your right. It’s a daring gamble on Bohmte's busy thoroughfare, but amazingly, it’s working, the Christian Science Monitor reports.

One resident says she originally dismissed the idea, inspired by a Dutch engineer, but has since come around: “Instead of thinking, 'It's going to be red, I need to give gas, people have to slow down, to be considerate,” she says. Moreover, pedestrians and motorists are forced to look at each other, which has drawn the community closer together. “The whole village has become more human.”

Source Christian Science Monitor

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  (Shutterstock)
Going stoplight-free worked out is working out okay in Bohmte, Germany.   (Shutterstock)
Would life be better without traffic lights? One German town thinks so.   (Shutterstock)
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My theory, was if you want to make people behave in a village, maybe you have to make it feel like a village. - Hans Monderman, the Dutch traffic engineer who first proposed breaking down car/pedestrian barriers

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