When a horrific car crash occurs, are most people willing to help? Or do they turn a blind eye? German police set out to find the answer, staging a fake road accident to test how many people were willing to be good Samaritans.

Police in Oberhavel, in the eastern German state of Brandenburg, worked together with a local media agency to stage the fake accident. They didn't scrimp on the details, smearing fake blood all over two female victims inside the car, and on the car itself.

Once the stage was set, seven hidden cameras recorded events as police hid up the road and pulled over cars that didn't stop to help. That was most drivers, as a whopping 90 percent of passing traffic failed to pull over to assist the “victims.”

“Many drivers could not explain why they hadn't stopped and helped,” Police Commissioner Robert Muller said, as quoted by Markische Allgemeine. He added that most drivers were aware of the importance of first-aid measures after an accident, yet still didn't stop. Popular excuses for breezing past the accident included reportedly not being able to brake fast enough.

The stunt, which was carried out on National Road Safety Day, was criticized by Michael Frieser of the conservative Bavarian Christian Social Union.

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“If the police carry out such actions, they should always do so together with traffic clubs such as the ADAC or the ACE. Because this form of road safety education cannot be their job,” he told Bild.

Police, however, have defended the exercise as being necessary. “Public relations are a very important aspect in raising people's awareness of such situations and explaining how to act correctly in an emergency,” Andre Quade, who headed the local police team on that day, told a local news outlet, as quoted by Deutsche Welle.

German drivers are legally required to stop and help in cases of emergency. Those who fail to do so face a fine or one year in prison.

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