The outdated and deactivated control devices were found when police patrol teams came across them while circling through residential areas of the country’s second-largest city.
Fake cameras were noticed on different occasions; one day the police encountered four separate units.
The authorities began investigating who was behind the case. While doing so, the police posted the story on social media and teasingly urged people to be careful on the road.
“As the number of tripods in Kaunas is increasing, be careful not to exceed the speed limit!,” the authorities warned.
Soon enough, the investigators found out who was behind the weird prank.
“It turned out that a group of four citizens decided to set up a social experiment aimed at learning how controlling devices affect drivers’ behaviour. None of those involved was currently serving on any of Lithuania’s law enforcement institutions,” said Traffic Supervision Division Chief Specialist at Lithuanian Police Renatas Siaurusaitis to ROADPOL Media.
The group assembled several decommissioned speed cameras and put them at different road sections throughout the city. Then they backed away, watched and recorded how drivers reacted to the cameras.
The four “perpetrators” got away without even a warning as no violation of public order or the Road Traffic Rules were offended. Road traffic was also not physically obstructed.