Russia puts the brakes on

MOSCOW - A peculiar sight greeted drivers in Moscow on Friday: "zebras" walking back and forth across some of the city's busiest intersections.

It was part of a police campaign to call attention to the importance of crosswalks, known as "zebra crossings," which are routinely ignored in the Russian capital, contributing to the horrific number of pedestrians who are mowed down by cars.

The drivers who slowed down, and there were some, might have noticed that the "zebras" were actually light-gray horses painted with black stripes. On their backs they carried yellow signs reading: "Careful, children are on their way to school."

Drivers are aggressive and impatient in fast-paced Moscow, where it is not unusual to see cars zipping down sidewalks or blowing through red lights. Crosswalks often exist only in theory, with drivers explaining that it is too risky to stop because the car behind them is unlikely to extend the courtesy.

In the first six months of this year, 378 people were killed and more than 6,600 injured in pedestrian crossings in Russia, according to police.

Anyone who has sat behind the wheel in Moscow knows that pedestrians are a big part of the problem, often darting across multi-laned avenues or stepping off curbs without bothering to look left or right.

Many of the worst offenders are children, said Galina Pravdyuk, a police officer who runs educational programs in Moscow schools. She told the children they were never safe crossing the street, even when the green walk light was on. A car's brakes can fail or a driver can run a red light, she said.

"Children, you have to take care of yourselves while our driving culture is on such a low level," she told them.

Russian newspapers are full of gruesome accounts of pedestrians killed on crosswalks. This week, two teenage sisters were struck in Moscow, with one killed. Last month, a motorcyclist hit a toddler, killing the child.

The expansion of Internet access has helped to publicize the accidents, and in some cases to help find those responsible. Attitudes and behavior have also been slowly changing. Russia recently introduced tougher traffic laws and higher penalties for violations.

Drivers now stop at crosswalks with increasing frequency, and starting in November, the law will require them to brake not only for pedestrians already in crosswalks but also for those who have just stepped onto the road to cross.

Police also claim some success in educating children. Pravdyuk said that in her Moscow district, the number of children hit by cars in the first half of this year was 28, down from 37 in the same period of 2009.