Brad Pitt prevents road accidents in Siberian city

Cardboard cutouts of Hollywood actor Brad Pitt and billionaire Bill Gates, dressed as traffic cops, have been placed at the most dangerous intersections in the Siberian city of Omsk.

It's the latest move by authorities in their endless battle against speeding. Traffic accidents in Russia are among the highest in Europe.

The campaign seems to be working. Omsk officials say accidents are down as star-struck drivers ease off the gas to gaze at the unusual images.

Newspaper Argumenty i Fakty quotes Dmitry Ziryanov, a local official who came up with the idea as saying Pitt is "kind of like a colleague for us."

Another police spokesman, Sergei Smirnov, said any likeness was unintentional.

“This is pure coincidence, about Brad Pitt. Honestly, I don’t even know what he looks like,” Smirnov said, adding that “Brad” was currently away from the city streets, having his uniform changed for the summer weather.