Nothing like a bit of The Beatles to save the day.

Probably one of the most famous pictures and album covers of The Beatles has been used to cut down about 20% of road deaths in Calcutta.

The stupendous Abbey Road cover, that was released in 1969, shows the boys John, Paul, George and Ringo walking across a zebra crossing in London. Although the main vision of photographer Iain Macmillan was not to advertise road safety – the legendary image has been used to do just that.

It has been reported that an average of 140,000 people die in road accidents annually in India – the highest percentage in the world. In order to lessen this number, road chiefs in India have used the Abbey Road image to show pedestrians the dangers of jaywalking and replicate the safety laws that should be followed.

The image as well as the slogan “If they can, why can’t you?” have been made into signs and put around the streets of Calcutta in the last few months.

Supratim Sarkar, commissioner of the traffic police in Calcutta:

We are trying to say that if John, Paul, George and Ringo could use the zebra crossing, you can do it too.

The Beatles touched thousands of lives with their music and we are simply trying to use their universal appeal to save lives.

Since the posters have been put up, the death rate has fallen by 20% and the legacy of one of the best bands in history gets more credit to add to its collection.

[Source: Telegraph]