Drivers illegally hire sentries to watch for police on highway  

湖南违法载客司机雇佣蒙面“哨兵”放风(图)

塑料薄膜蒙面，一旦发现高速交警巡逻，就给要在高速公路上下乘客的司机通风报信……2月12日，一名出现在长张高速慈利到张家界路段的蒙面“哨兵”，被正在巡逻的高速交警长张大队天门山中队民警抓个现行。[查看全文]

(ECNS) -- Drivers who earn money illegally by picking up passengers along a highway in Hunan province are hiring masked men to keep watch for traffic police, rednet.cn reported on Friday.

On a section of the highway linking Changsha and Zhangjiajie, many residents from nearby villages try to find illegal rides.

Loading or unloading passengers on the highway is banned, and violators face a fine of 2,000 yuan ($329), but some drivers still choose to pick up passengers for money.

To avoid being caught, the drivers hire local villagers as "sentries" to signal them if there police are patrolling nearby.

One such watchman was caught by traffic police on Wednesday.

Wearing a plastic mask on his head, the watchman told the police that he normally stood on the hills along the highway, and his work was to send signals to the drivers if police approached.

The police asked the watchman to provide his personal information, and told him about the hazards caused by the illegal loading or unloading of passengers on highways.