The Russian Government has Discussed the Draft Federal Road Safety Programme

24 September 2013

The draft Federal Road Safety Programme for 2013-2020 was discussed at a meeting of the Russian government on 23rd September. During the meeting it was noted that the road traffic accident rate in Russia continues to be a very significant public issue. Road traffic accidents cause huge material damage and emotional distress, killing and injuring many people.

Various public institutions and government bodies are focusing attention on reducing the road traffic accident rate. This issue is discussed regularly at meetings of the Government Commission for Road Safety. Just recently, significant amendments were introduced to the legislation on penalties for road traffic offences.

The new federal road safety programme will be the logical continuation of the previous programme, which ended in 2012. The 2006-2012 programme has been deemed a success overall. It led to a significant reduction in the number of deaths and injuries from traffic accidents: between 2006 and 2012 the number of people killed and injured in road traffic accidents fell by almost 20%. Common approaches were developed and efforts were stepped up at the federal, regional and municipal levels to reduce the harm caused to the state and society by road traffic accidents. There were improvements in the statistics for social and transport risks, the child accident rate, and also the severity and consequences of road traffic accidents. There was also a fall in the number of accidents involving pedestrians and drunk drivers. However, if these positive trends are to be maintained, it is important that we continue to take system-wide measures to protect road users.

The draft Federal Road Safety Programme for 2013-2020 was presented to the Russian government by the Russian Minister for Internal Affairs, Vladimir Kolokoltsev. Mr Kolokoltsev stated that the programme’s main target is to reduce the number of people killed in road traffic accidents by more than 28% by 2020. To achieve this target, the government must continue its work on a number of priority tasks. These include: making road traffic offences socially unacceptable, teaching children safe road behaviour, improving driver attitudes and behaviour, developing a modern emergency response system, and introducing stricter requirements for driver training and driving schools.

Talking about the key areas of the programme, the Russian minister stressed that one of the main issues is the behaviour of road users themselves. He noted that it is essential to improve discipline and to make it socially unacceptable to commit road traffic offences. This will require, on the one hand, improved forms and methods of control, and on the other, preventive education work and better quality driver training.

To promote child road safety it is intended to increase road safety education in pre-school institutions and schools and to make maximum use of social advertising across all the media channels. Attention will also be paid to the use of child car seats. In addition, it is intended to expand a network of experimental miniature towns and other road safety training areas for children.

The draft programme also envisages increased efforts to protect the largest category of road users, i.e. pedestrians. Pedestrians account for more than one third of all road traffic accident deaths. The increase in the number of pedestrians being killed at pedestrian crossings is particularly concerning.  It is planned to use modern technical solutions to make pedestrian crossings safer.

With regard to the emergency response to calls about road traffic accidents, specifically, the speed of the response and the quality of the medical care provided, the main tasks are: developing proper infrastructure, improving the procedures and methods for rescue work, and setting up roadside emergency first aid points.

After listening to the road safety experts who were invited to the meeting, the government decided to support the Federal Road Safety Programme for 2013-2020.  

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