The Amsterdam transport region is trialling digital signs that show how many drivers keep to the speed limit to see if rewarding good behaviour works on the road.

Research by the transport region has shown that drivers are less inclined to press the pedal if they see others sticking to the rules. A pilot project, which comprises four screens around the capital, will have to show if that is the case, spokeswoman Leonie Veerman told broadcaster NOS.

“People like to conform to the social norm. By making that norm visible, we promote a positive “herd mentality”, she said.

Instead of the current system of smiling and frowning emojis, the signs display the number of law-abiding drivers, which the transport region hopes will put paid to the idea that ‘everyone speeds here anyway’.

“The message we are conveying is: your neighbours are keeping to the rules,” Veerman said.

Some 30% to 40% of drivers regularly exceed the 30 km/h speed limit in urban areas. Breaking the limit by five or 10 km is often seen as not a big deal, the research showed.

The signs have been put up in Landsmeer, Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, Aalsmeer and Nieuw-Vennep. A sensor picks up the speed of the passing cars, registering those that stay within the limit. After four days, most boards have clocked up around 4000 to 6000 well-behaved drivers, the transport region said.

Similar “herd mentality” schemes have been used to try to deter householders from flytipping their refuse bags next to street containers.

The signs will remain in place until October 9. The transport region and the local councils involved will then evaluate the results and decide if more motorway stretches would benefit from the new approach.