20.07.09

The situation on Russian roads remains tense but the traffic accident rate is steadily on decline, Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev said.

"The tense situation on Russian roads creates many threats, including the one to the national demographic potential. More than a half of traffic accidents deaths are able-bodied people," he said.

The minister explained traffic accidents with many factors. "Firstly, the number of vehicles in this country has grown by almost 2.5 million. Secondly, the number of rapid cars has grown. Thirdly, the existent roads are unable to cope with the traffic intensity," he said.

"The drivers are also responsible. More than 80% of traffic accidents occur through their fault. It is impossible to expect a major improvement without the firm provision of law and order on Russian roads," he said.

Meanwhile, the number of traffic accidents continued to decline in January-May 2009. The traffic accident mortality rate reduced by 13.1%, while the rate of injuries went down by 4.6%. The number of traffic accidents caused by drunk drivers decreased by 17%, the minister said.

A drastic improvement of the road situation depends on the professionalism of traffic police officers, Russian traffic police chief Col. Gen. Viktor Kiryanov said.

"I am glad to say that the constructive and professional conduct of traffic police officers has saved thousands of lives," he noted.

Moscow will host the first-ever world ministerial conference on traffic safety this November, Kiryanov said.

"The world will have the first-ever discussion of this problem and elaborate an action plan. Notably, Moscow will play host to that event. This mirrors the international recognition of Russian efforts in the provision of traffic safety," he said.

The federal road safety program has saved over 10,000 lives in Russia, Kiryanov said.

He said the federal government adopted the program in 2006 when the scale of traffic accidents turned disastrous.

"We had the goal of reducing the number of traffic accident deaths by 1.5 times by the year 2012," he said. Measures were taken to prevent dangerous driving and to ensure better organization of motor and pedestrian traffic in large cities.

In addition, Russia is switching to computerized driving exams. In the opinion of Kiryanov, that will provide for a more objective evaluation of knowledge of prospective drivers.

The main task is to ensure safety of pedestrians and to enlarge the capacity of roads, the official said. "That will require appropriate funding and city development plans," he remarked.

There is a global traffic safety crisis, and 1.2 million people get killed in traffic accidents worldwide each year, in the words of Nurgaliyev.

Experts estimate the world damage caused by traffic accidents at over $500 billion per year. "Thus, a smaller number of traffic accidents and related injuries is a primary socioeconomic task of all nations," he said.

Russia is fully aware of the urgency of this problem and working on its solution, he said. "Some 315,000 people died and over 2 million were injured in traffic accidents of the past decade," the minister said.

The rapidly growing number of vehicles in Russia is an add-on factor, Nurgaliyev said. "Personal incomes are growing, and many people buy vehicles. It is not a secret that Russia has the biggest traffic mortality rate in Europe," he said.

The Moscow region is doing a lot to ensure traffic safety. About 50 video cameras will be installed on Russian federal roads, which go through the Moscow region, by the end of this year, Moscow regional traffic police chief Maj. Gen. Sergei Sergeyev told Itar-Tass.

The Moscow regional government has approved financing of the program, and amendments will soon be made to the Administrative Code, the general said.

About 42,000 drivers have been fined with the help of information from video cameras in the Moscow region since July 1, 2008. "The video monitoring system is very efficient. It helps us provide law and order on the roads.

"According to statistic reports, the number of traffic accidents and violations of traffic zones has reduced a lot in areas monitored by video cameras. It has reduced to nil in a number of regions. Drivers know about video cameras and their discipline improves," the general said.

"This is the desired result. Our goal is not to punish as many drivers as possible but to prevent violations, which may have rather severe consequences. That is why, we do not conceal our video cameras but mark them with special signs," he said. "Besides, there is no direct contact between the driver and the traffic police inspector, which reduces corruption and biasness."

The national authorities will assign 167 million rubles for video monitoring of Russian roads this year, Sergeyev said.

The number of traffic accidents and road casualties is on decline in the Moscow region, Sergeyev said.

A total of 1,881 traffic accidents were registered in the first quarter of this year, which was 15.6% less than a year before, he said. "The traffic accidents killed 369 people (or 17% less) and injured 2,300 people (or 13% less)," he said.

Eighty-five percent of traffic accidents occurred because of violations of traffic rules by drivers, which was 13% less than in the previous year, Sergeyev said.

"The number of children killed in traffic accidents reduced by 50% in the first five months of this year, while the number of injured children went down by 21%," he said. "Yet the rate is still impermissibly high.

"We give special attention to children. 'Auto' towns are opened for minors where they can learn traffic rules. Traffic control is tight near school buildings, summer camps and recreational facilities. We are checking out the technical conditions of buses, which will take children to places of their summer rest," Sergeyev said.

Up to 400 violations are daily registered on pedestrian crossings in the Moscow region.

"Drivers are responsible for 70% of such accidents, and 30% are the fault of pedestrians," Sergeyev said.

Asked whether the financial crisis had cut the traffic, he said, the number of traveling trucks was down while the number of cars went up. "The crisis has no substantial influence on traffic. Traffic jams remain, especially in peak hours," he said.

At the same time, the number of vehicles registered in the Moscow region declined by 28% in the beginning of the year. "In all, we registered 93,000 vehicles, including 66,000 of the foreign make, and half of them were brand new. The share of foreign made vehicles amounted to 70% a year ago, as against 49% at present," Sergeyev said.

Meanwhile, a source at the Moscow city traffic police department told Itar-Tass that Moscow drivers had become more disciplined: there were fewer drunk drivers and speeders.

Yet drivers were responsible for 2.1 million violations and pedestrians for another 314,000 last year. More than 14,000 drunk drivers were stopped on Moscow roads, almost 6,000 less than the year ago. "The stricter punishment has brought positive results," the source said.

"Stricter road control near crosswalks cut the number of deaths by 30% and the number of injured pedestrians by 19% this year. In all, there were 1,167 accidents involving pedestrians in the Moscow region in January-May 2009. The accidents killed 211 people and injured 1,028," he said.

Punishment for drivers' neglect of pedestrians has become more severe, and that helps, Sergeyev said. "The 100-ruble fine for the driver's failure to let a pedestrian cross was hardly an adequate measure.

Nevertheless, traffic police inspectors fined 74,688 drivers on that charge last year," he noted. "Now the fine amounts to 800 - 1,000 rubles. I think drivers will be more careful."

In 2008 Moscow traffic police registered almost 27,000 cases of speeding (4,500 less than in 2007) and nearly 101,500 cases of red light running (12,000 less). At the same time, the number of aggressive drivers taking a counter lane amounted to 22,700 in 2007 and 47,300 in 2008.

"More than 1.8 million drives were fined in 2008, as against 1.4 million in 2007. The indicators for pedestrians stood 238,000 and 198,000 respectively. Judges of peace retrieved licenses of 64,200 drivers or 3,000 more than the year before," the source said.

"Last year the number of traffic accidents went down by 10.9%, from almost 15,000 to 13,300. The number of deaths declined by a fourth to 865 people, while the number of injured fell by 11.2% to slightly more than 15,000," the source said.

The rate of traffic accidents involving minors and the rate of killed and injured minors decreased, as well. "The decline was rather substantial, by 56% for the dead and 10% for the injured," he said.

There were 6,200 cases of pedestrians ran down by drivers; 5,000 collisions of vehicles and 801 vehicles ramming obstacles.

The number of car hijacks in Moscow also reduced. "There were 12,300 crimes of the sort in 2008 or
1,300 less than in the previous year. Traffic police found 12,000 hijacked vehicles," the source said.

A total of 4,500 wanted and missing vehicles were found with the help of new gadgets, Potok.

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Source: Itar-Tass