Chuvash drivers first to be trained in the “Art of Braking”

27 March 2014

Training courses in the “Art of Braking” have begun in Russian regions. The training is the central event of the “Brake in Advance!” public awareness campaign. This is an initiative of the General Department of Road Traffic Safety of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Russian Association of Motor Insurers, with information support provided by NGO Road Safety Russia.

The first training course was held in the Chuvash Republic. Under the guidance of professional instructors, more than 200 drivers from Cheboksary, the region’s capital, learnt how to brake correctly. At the end of the training, a press conference was held with the head of the Chuvashia Road Traffic Safety Department, Vladimir Romanov, the director of NGO Road Safety Russia, Vadim Melnikov, and representatives of NGOs, public health agencies and other regional ministries and departments.

Mr Romanov cited statistics for the region: in 2013 alone there were 722 instances of pedestrians being run over. Eighty-seven pedestrians were killed and 673 injured in these accidents, and a third of them occurred on pedestrian crossings.

Public opinion surveys have shown that the driver’s lack of awareness of technical issues is usually to blame when a pedestrian is run over: for example, the relationship between braking distance and speed, how ABS works, and how weather conditions affect brakes. Vadim Melnikov from NGO Road Safety Russia pointed out that one of the campaign’s objectives is to fill in gaps in driver knowledge.

The provision of emergency first aid after a road traffic accident is also very important. Yevgenia Guryanova from the Chuvashia Health Ministry pointed out that 60% of road accident victims die before an ambulance arrives. She noted that an interagency approach is required to address this issue.

After the press conference all the speakers took part in the “Art of Braking” training. They saw for themselves how the braking distance differs at 20, 40 and 60km per hour, the safe following distance when driving in town, and what can happen if this distance is not maintained. All of the participants said that the training was very effective and that it should be included in the programme for driving schools.

After Cheboksary, drivers from Yaroslavl, Veliky Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, St. Petersburg, Perm, Kaluga, Omsk, Vladimir and the Moscow Region will have the opportunity to master the theory and practice of safe braking. Drivers wishing to participate in the training can sign up on the campaign website.

Drivers who cannot make the training in person can obtain the necessary information by watching the campaign’s video lectures, which had their first screening at the press conference in Chuvashia. The first lecture is already available for viewing online. The clips feature Mikhail Aleshin, multiple champion and runner-up in Russian and international races, and driver for the SMP Racing programme to develop and support Russian motor racing. In the videos, Aleshin demonstrates emergency braking, a safe following distance, and how braking distance depends on vehicle speed.

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