A fed-up dad created a fake speed camera to slow down cars going down a busy road into Stoke-on-Trent.
Rob Adcock decorated his vehicle with a specially-designed magnetic sticker with the words 'speed camera' plastered on the back as part of his trick. On the poster, a small bit of print reveals the van's true identity.
The van was also decorated with reflective striped stickers while Rob himself donned a high-vis jacket while he kept an eye on motorists for an hour and a half. He decided to take action on the 30mph stretch of road in the Staffordshire Moorlands to try and make the busy road safer.
He posted a video on TikTok, which has since gained over one million views, showing the father-of-one displaying the effect of the van on traffic. As vehicles approached the van going down hill, they would quickly slow down.
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Rob, who ordered the stickers from Signability in Fenton, told StokeonTrentLive : "I moved to the area around six years ago. The speed limit used to be 40mph but it was cut to 30mph several years ago. The people who live around here have done a lot of campaigning to improve road safety and would ideally like to get a crossing at the top.
"After I became a dad I became more sensitive to this kind of thing. Orla likes to go to the 'deep dark wood' at the top of the road but so many times we have had to run across the road because cars come flying down.
"I run a social media business and thought I might be able to do something to help, because I know how to make a video go viral. I did it two weeks ago but I had been planning it for a long time. I'm not saying that anyone who was driving along that road was speeding but they reacted when they saw the van and you could see their brake lights."
But not everyone was impressed with Rob's traffic trick. He added: "I made the video from a light-hearted point of view and around 70 per cent of the comments have been positive, but some have been awful.
"I've had a lot of hassle and I'm getting people saying they hope I get cancer. It's an extreme reaction to something where I'm literally just saying please don't speed through our village. I borrowed the van and I could do it again.
"A lot of people have got in touch to ask me to come to their area. It's too early to say if it's had any impact but it's drawing attention to the issue and as long as it stops people speeding, that's the main thing."
In the video, Rob can be heard saying: "I made a fake speed camera van to make k***heads slow down where I live. So I live on this road and it's meant to be a 30 but there's always some muppet like this d*** here flying past."
The video then goes on to show and image of a crashed car in Rob's front harden. He explained that a speeding driver lost control of their vehicle which landed them on his property.
Rob's daughter, Orla, can also be heard in the video shouting at cars to "slow down! It's 30 for a reason!"
Rob added: "Whenever Orla asks to go on a walk or to the wood, you’re thinking at the back of your mind, 'What am I going to do if a car comes flying down the hill?' If you have children, just think what it must be like when they ask you to go to the park. You’re thinking: 'Are they going to get there in one piece?!'
"Staffordshire Moorlands District Council have done things to try and slow the road down but the people who live around here want there to be more done.
"They’ve been campaigning to get further traffic calming measures for a while now. Let’s hope this helps. There are two large schools at the bottom of the hill and quite a few blind bends There isn’t a proper crossing yet. When you drive along you see the kids and you think it’s an accident waiting to happen."
It appears that Rob's trick has not disturbed any of the local authorities either, with Staffordshire Police confirming they have not received any complaints and will not take any action against him. A spokesman said: "From the information provided, we do not believe that any offences have been committed and no additional reports have been submitted by members of the public.
"The force, as part of the Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership, welcomes and encourages feedback from communities in relation to matters surrounding road safety. Local officers are working to reach out to the resident to discuss his concerns."
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