NAGOYA >> A red-and-yellow checkered pattern has been painted on a road preceding a pedestrian crossing in Chiryu, Aichi prefecture.

The pattern, which also comes in a blue-and-yellow version, is expected to attract the attention of car drivers and motorcyclists to remind them to slow down or stop.

Despite heavy traffic on the road, there are no traffic lights at the crosswalks, some of which are on school routes. The colorful checks were painted in late June as part of an experiment that got the approval of professor Koji Suzuki of the Nagoya Institute of Technology, who is an expert in traffic engineering.

Some residents in the neighborhood have noted that cars now stop more often.

“This simple idea may reduce the number of accidents, and we would like to confirm its effectiveness during the social experiment, which will last until October,” said Suzuki.