Their bloodied, bruised and battered bodies lay in twisted wrecks across the Island.

It was just like a scene from a horror film and the accompanying shock registered on the faces of passing motorists. Several even stopped, hurriedly picked up their cell phones and sprinted over to the victims, asking: "Are you ok?"

The 'bodies' however, were just actors, volunteers in a shocking and original road safety campaign. Up to ten people gave up four hours of their time yesterday to lie in a lifeless state by the Island's roadsides.

Between the hours of 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m., they tried to send a message to commuters to slow down, not jump red lights or drink and drive.

The reactions of motorists ranged from one trucker yelling 'How real is that!' to dropped jaws and even surprised laughter. And the scenes of the aftermath of a road traffic accident were so real that many people stopped to phone 911.

At the Trimingham Hill roundabout, 22-year-old Azziza Ahad sported fake protruding bones on her left wrist and a bloodied face, lying beneath a sign which read 'I ran a red light'. The mangled wreck of a motorcycle lay nearby, with a black high-heeled shoe at a further distance.

"If this encourages just one person not to jump red lights or drink-drive, it is very worthwhile," she said.

"This morning I was in Port Royal and lots of people came running up to me, most of them already on their phones. As soon as I saw them I had to point to the sign, and most were then very relieved."

Road Safety Officer Roxanne Christopher-Petgrave said: "Today we are giving people a bird's eye view of what a crash actually looks like. We want people to see the trauma the human body actually goes through."

She said the team ordered the fake blood and other 'horror' props from "Halloween-type websites".

"It's very realistic," she said. "We're trying to get this message home of 'Don't let this happen to you'. We hope it will lead to people modifying their behaviour on the roads."

Ms Ahad said there was only one downside to the campaign. "I am being eaten alive by ants!" she said.