Opinions
- Natalia Agre
- President of the NGO “Road Safety Russia”
Circumventing the law could cost a child's life
24 September 2013
It has been just over two weeks since changes to the law introduced a higher fine for failing to use a child restraint when transporting a child in a vehicle. While it is of course too early to draw conclusions, there are clearly some grounds for alarm.
The fine has been increased substantially, and many parents have finally started to think seriously about buying a child restraint. However, good quality, certified and fully tested car seats are expensive. Incomparable...
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- Road Safety Russia
Penalties for traffic offences in Russia – high or low?
09 September 2013
The amendments relating to traffic offences which have been introduced to the Russian Code of Administrative Offences and came into force on1 September 2013 are currently being hotly debated in the media and the public at large. Opinions on the matter are divided. Some people see it as a way to compel drivers to comply with traffic regulations, while others say that it will serve to exacerbate the corruption which already exists on the roads. Then there are those who say it is the only...
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- The Washington Post
A map of the countries with the most dangerous roads (by Max Fisher)
11 June 2013
Click to enlarge. Data source: World Health Organization
Lots of people think that their home town has the worst traffic, the most aggressive drivers, the craziest cabbies. Sometimes they have strong anecdotal evidence. Russian drivers often employ dashboard cameras to record seemingly inevitable collisions with reckless motorists. In the United Arab Emirates city of Abu Dhabi, a three-day Blackberry phone outage coincided with a 40 percent drop in traffic...
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News
- 26/02 The Reason for Overtaking campaign aims at reducing the number of traffic accidents and fatalities in the process of overtaking and is implemented under the auspices of the Russian Association of Motor Insurers, the State Traffic Police Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, with information support of the Road Safety expert center. The key objective of the campaign is to carry out complex activities in different communication channels aimed at preventing wrong way driving and evaluating factors when making a dangerous maneuver such as overtaking. “The 2017 official accident rate statistics show that 15.1 thousand (-9.1%) of traffic accidents registered on the Russian roads were associated with wrong way driving, which killed 4.9 thousand (-7.5%) people and injured over 27.8 thousand (-9.1%) people. These traffic accidents account for 10.5% of all the car crashes involving non-compliance by drivers with driving regulations. The State Traffic Police Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia pays special attention to prevention of offenses associated with wrong way driving as traffic accidents caused by this violation are characterized by the most serious consequences”, said Mikhail Chernikov, Head of the State Traffic Police Inspectorate. Overtaking needs a complex approach and target signals in different communication channels. When making outdoor advertisement layouts, we relied on traffic accident statistics and materials of sociological surveys. Thus, a survey conducted as part of the campaign, showed among other things that drivers do not adequately evaluate the external risk factors when overtaking or ignore them. Among Moscow drivers, every third driver will not forbear from overtaking when it is raining, there is fog and it is snowing (31%). Outdoor advertisements as part of the socially important Reason for Overtaking project urges drivers to pay special attention to external factors on the road when overtaking: bad visibility and difficult weather conditions, and make sure that overtaking should be done. Every 10th Russian is ready to overtake in difficult weather conditions. And 83% of surveyed Russians are ready to overtake only because they are in a hurry and have a subjective evaluation that the car before them goes slowly. It is important to understand that a simple look into the mirror may save your life and show that you are not the only one to be in a hurry. Statistics show that 9% of Russians have overtaken on the wrong traffic lane along with other road users for the last year. In an emergency, such snake-like overtaking leads to much more serious consequences in case of traffic accidents. Negligence of such simple rules can result in serious consequences and it is important to keep that in mind. The general road safety depends on your right decision. “The process of making a decision to overtake must gradually change by becoming more poised and well-thought. This view of drivers can impact the number of traffic accidents in the country. The idea of outdoor advertisements consists in reminding drivers that even the most important reason is not a reason for overtaking”, commented Natalia Agre, President of the Risk-Free Road Traffic expert center. One of the most alarming factors pointing out to the inadequate evaluation of the danger overtaking represents is overtaking when a child travels in a car. 25% of drivers overtake with a child in the car and men overtake more frequently than women. “We hope that advertisements will help reduce the road injury rate and show to drivers that overtaking is a dangerous maneuver, which requires from the driver to be attentive”, commented Igor Yurgens, President of the Russian Association of Motor Insurers. As part of the Reason for Overtaking campaign, social advertisement banners will be installed in 14 regions participating in the project. The topics of the Reason for Overtaking campaign will encompass regions such as the Republics of Kabardino-Balkaria, Komi, North Ossetia and Udmurtia, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Primorsky Territory, and Khabarovsk Territory, Belgorod Region, Briansk Region, Irkutsk Region, Ryazan Region, Tyumen Region, Ulyanovsk Region, and Moscow.
- 19/12 The video film of the Crossing Difficulties social campaign won an award of the Impulse Russian national contest of social advertisements among governmental authorities. The video film titled Safe Crossing. Pedestrian became a bronze award winner of the contest in the Best Video Advertisement nomination. The video film Safe Crossing. Pedestrian is central to the Crossing Difficulties Russian national social campaign held early this year by the State Traffic Police Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia jointly with the Russian Association of Motor Insurers and the Risk-Free Road Traffic expert center. The campaign aimed at focusing the attention of pedestrians and drivers on interaction between them since this has a direct impact on the safety of pedestrians, including children. During the campaign, the video was watched by millions of Russians as it was broadcast on the country’s central TV channels. The Crossing Difficulties project was promoted at the federal level as a result of an information campaign, support of regional authorities, nongovernmental authorities, and the media. Besides, educational events were held across the country; they were developed for the campaign and relied on an individual approach to each age group: children in kindergartens, schoolers of various ages, students, trainees of driver training centers, debuting and experienced drivers. Police Major General Mikhail Chernikov, Head of the Russian State Traffic Police Inspectorate, said that a high award of the Crossing Difficulties social campaign emphasizes again the quality of projects implemented at the national level and competences accumulated in Russia in the area of traffic safety matters. “Each project is preceded by a thorough and detailed analysis of the situation; experts examine data of the State Traffic Police Inspectorate in terms of the relevant accident rate figures, initiate surveys of the Russian National Public Opinion Research Centers, and, having received data, identify the most vulnerable aspects to be improved. We have been winning awards at the contest for three years in a row so it means that we perform a really important and necessary work. Our goal is to improve the level of culture of road users and raise responsible drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. The interim results of this work can be seen today, said Natalia Agre, President of the Risk-Free Road Traffic. “Roads in Russia’s large cities are unfortunately not the best place for a pedestrian. People are run over while crossing over and this is currently the most serious problem of pedestrians. It can really be solved, but it needs a complex approach. We hope that the current projects will considerably improve the road safety level in Russia and the developed programs and approaches to road user training will help us raise a new generation of responsible drivers and pedestrians”, - says Igor Yurgens, President of the Russian Association of Motor Insurers. The Impulse Russian National Contest of Social Advertisements is held by Russia Today, an international news agency. Its purpose is to contribute to the development of social advertisements in Russia and form practices of social responsibility based on moral and ethical standards and interests of society. This year, the contest has broken a record in terms of applications. Representatives of the governmental authorities from all the federal districts of Russia and the CIS participated in the contest. Over 500 applications were submitted for consideration to the jury panel. The winner award ceremony was attended by the heads and representatives of the federal and regional governmental authorities, the media, higher educational institutions, and nongovernmental organizations. Winners of the contest were given Impulse souvenir figurines, which symbolize social energy giving momentum to creativity and sustainable development.
- 14/12 The Risk-Free Road Traffic expert center has cooperated for several years with Ford Sollers, a major automobile company, in terms of implementation of socially important projects, including a program for drivers titled Ford Safe Driving Academy developing safe driving skills. This year, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Education of Tatarstan and the Risk-Free Road Traffic expert center, Ford Sollers completed the implementation of the first phase of launching the dual education system in the Mechatronics specialty of secondary specialized educational institutions in the Republic of Tatarstan and successfully held three-day training for teachers. Trainings were held at the secondary specialized educational institutions: Elabuga Polytechnic College and the Kamsky State Automechanical College, as well as at the Ford Sollers production facilities in Elabuga. “Our trainings are the first step on the way to improve the level of workers training for the automobile industry by mastering a new specialty, - said Nadezhda Smolnik, Ford Sollers project manager. – We brought together the best specialists from 9 secondary specialized educational institutions of Tatarstan and Russia, and, along with them and related specialists, developed ways of introducing the new and currently demanded specialty – Mechatronics. We propose to teach this subject within the dual education system, according to which the specialist training process involves two parties: an educational institution and a company ready to subsequently employ the trainees of this system. And this role can be presently taken by Ford Sollers”. The dual education system in the leading European countries has not been innovation since long ago and is actively used in countries such as Germany and Austria. They have a legal framework for this system work and, upon graduating from a secondary special institution students get actively involved in the profession having the skills required by a specific enterprise starting from their first working day. “What is dual education? This is, in fact, one of the options for close cooperation of education and production, said Anna Sidorenko, Head of the Vocational Education Department of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Tatarstan, on the first day of training. – Perhaps, fortunately we are not yet toughly regulated in this field. Under the current legislation, aware of what dual education is, we can shape our own forms of interaction. But we are aware of only one thing – that the main objective is a company’s worker. When a child is employed, even though under a student agreement, he/she is a company’s worker. Only in this case we can talk about a dual system.” On the second day of trainings, Azat Mustafin, Cand. Sc. (Education), assistant professor at the Naberezhnye Chelny Branch of the Kazan State Engineering University – Kazan Aviation Institute, and expert of Worldskills in the Mechatronics field, explained why the pilot project will work in the Mechatronics field. He finds mechatronics to be a science dedicated to the creation and target operation of machines and systems, movements of which are determined by computers. “It is based on knowledge of mechanics, microprocessor equipment, computer science, electronics and computer management of movements of units and machines, - said A. Mustafin. – Today the Mechatronics specialty is among the top 50 new and promising professions most demanded in the labor market and requiring secondary vocational education”. It should be reminded that the Mechatronics subject is already registered in Order No. 1550 of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation dated December 09, 2016 “On approval of the federal state educational standard of secondary vocational education for specialty 15.02.10 Mechatronics and mobile robotics (by industries)”, and this document includes the entire list of the necessary areas of education, requirements for the terms of the program implementation, a list of worker professions, employee positions recommended to be developed under the educational program and other items of the program the educational institution will rely on in case of deciding to introduce this subject in its list of specialties. To sum up trainings’ results, having analyzed these surveys of the participants concerning the efficiency of the event, Elena Borisenko, a leading analyst of the Risk-Free Road Traffic expert center, said that all the participants in trainings (100%) concluded that they are useful and plan to use knowledge gained during trainings in their work. “76% believe that Russia could develop a successful dual education model for secondary vocational education (18% chose the “other” option explaining it by the need to take into account the economic sector, for which staff is trained, revision of regulatory documents, and other concurrent factors). 65% of respondents will partly introduce the mechatronics models developed during trainings in their curricula; 35% will try and introduce them in full scope; and 94% of participants in trainings would like to participate in further trainings on dual education”, - summarized the analyst. At present, Tatarstan has several secondary specialized educational institutions ready to train mechatronic students according to a dual system where Ford Sollers will be an employer. Implementation of the second phase of the dual education system in the Mechatronics specialty will continue and the first pilot groups of trainees can be enrolled next academic year. The Risk-Free Road Traffic expert center supports the idea of the new education model at secondary specialized educational institutions and believes that quality education of the automobile industry specialists is not just a precondition for the company’s success, but care for the safety and good condition of the end product – a car with the help of which the humankind lives the third century.
- 23/11 The Risk-Free Road Traffic expert center is proud to announce that the Risk-Free Childhood project implemented under the auspices of the State Traffic Police Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia and the Ministry of Healthcare of Russia became a winner of the contest and received the grant of the President of the Russian Federation for the project implementation in three regions of our country! Risk-Free Childhood is a small, but strategic demographic project aimed at forming one of the most important components of the family institution: ensuring a child’s safety. It should be noted that according to the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat), demographic indicators in our country tend to decline. Thus, in 2016, the birth rate fell by 2.6% (51.9 thousand) and in the first half of this year – by 11.6% (107.349 thousand) as compared to the same period of the last year. We should pay attention to the fact that every year tens of thousands of traffic accidents occur on our country’s roads, where, according to the State Traffic Police Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, over 14,000 traffic accidents involved children in January – September 2017 alone resulting in the death of 563 children and injuries of 15,816 children. In addition to the pain of close relatives due to the loss or disability of their beloved ones, the state suffers from the socio-economic and demographic perspective as well. Without a doubt, all of this proves that human (children’s) lives need to be protected and road safety is to be enhanced. Russia’s first and still only Risk-Free Childhood project was implemented for the first time in 2013 as part of the Buckle Up federal social campaign of the Russian Association of Motor Insurers and the State Traffic Police Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. Since 2015, the project has been implemented on an experimental basis at the V. I. Kulakov federal perinatal center. The key element of the Risk-Free Childhood project includes regularly held information trainings where young parents are explained the importance of using child booster seats and encouraged to buy a child booster seat by the moment of being released from a maternity hospital. As was already said by Natalia Agre, the project founder and ideologist, president of the Road Safety expert center, a Russian Federation citizen’s behavior must be continuously formed since he/she is born. “This project is the first element of the strategy I would like to implement as part of Risk-Free Childhood. Integration of all the subjects relevant to safety of children under one and somewhat later until they become adult will be the next step. I am confident that young families must be helped preserve a family and, accordingly, helped protect the health and life of children. As a result of this work, we can grow an absolutely new generation of Russians”. The team of the Risk-Free Road Traffic expert center is sincerely grateful to the Ministry of Healthcare of Russia represented by Elena Nikolaevna Baybarina, Director of the Department of Medical Aid to Children and the Maternity Obstetric Service, Gennady Tikhonovich Sukhikh, Head of the V. I. Kulakov National Perinatal Center, and all the senior officials of the State Traffic Police Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.
- 22/11 The headquarters of the World Health Organization in Geneva hosted international consultations on global voluntary targets in the field of road traffic injury prevention. Participants of the consultative meeting were representatives of the World Health Organization, the United Nations European Economic Commission, the United Nations Children's Fund, as well as more than one hundred experts in the field of road safety from 30 countries. The Delegation of the Russian Federation, which included Nataliya Agre, the President of the “Driving Risk-Free Road Traffic” Expert Center, and representatives of the Russian Ministry of Health, was headed by Major-General of Police Mikhail Chernikov, Head of the Main Directorate for Road Traffic Safety of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. During the meeting, the participants discussed the draft targets in the field of road traffic injury prevention, that have been developed by the World Health Organization. The document is intended to solve the task of monitoring the progress in achieving the targets in the field of road safety, included in the goal of sustainable development – a UN program document for the period up to 2030 adopted by the UN General Assembly. The targets and the related progress indicators cover the organization of road traffic safety management issues in conditions of increasing population mobility, improving the safety of vehicle design, protection of various categories of road users, as well as measures to respond to road traffic accidents. The Russian delegation made several comments and constructive proposals, in particular, the assessment of the condition of road infrastructure in terms of road traffic safety. They also suggested to adjust targets and indicators characterizing the exposure level to major risk factors: driving in the state of intoxication, overspeeding, the non-use of seat belts and motorcycle helmets by vehicle drivers and passengers, as well as transportation of children without child restraints. It is assumed that, after the approval of the draft document by all parties concerned, it will be submitted for approval to the World Health Assembly in Spring 2018.
- 17/11 On November 17, Belgorod welcomed a solemn event dedicated to the start of the second wave of the “Safety Laboratory” federal project, which is implemented in line with the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation. The project is organized by the State Motor Vehicle Inspectorate of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Russian Association of Motor Insurers and supported by the “Risk-Free Road Traffic” Expert Center, the Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation. At the event, the Innovation Center was presented for the prevention of children road traffic injuries. Presentation of the mobile part of the project – the “Safety Laboratory” vehicle – and the opening press conference started in the territory of secondary school No. 50, which hospitably opened its doors to the event participants. The ceremony was attended by Nataliya Poluyanova, the Deputy Governor of Belgorod Region and the Head of the Department of Education; Colonel of Police Nikolay Smolyakov, the Head of the Department of State Motor Vehicle Inspectorate of the Russian Department of Internal Affairs for Belgorod Region; Aleksandr Yakimov, an Advisor to the President of the Russian Association of Motor Insurers; and Vadim Melnikov, the General Director of the “Risk-Free Road Traffic” Expert Center. Other participants of the solemn event were representatives of the regional authorities, heads of educational institutions, and regional representative offices of insurance companies. The Belgorod branch of the AlfaStrakhovanie company was presented at this event by its director – Tamara Leontieva, and the branch of the SOGAZ company by Nadezhda Tagisaraeva. Let us remind you that Belgorod Region became the first region involved in the project second wave. The Belgorod Center for the Prevention of Children Road Traffic Injuries will operate within the walls of the Novy Oskol Center of Patriotic Education. The school’s territory hosted an exhibition of retro cars, mobile training areas for children, and, surely, the Safety Laboratory vehicle. In honor of the opening the Center honorary guests of the event and the project organizers together with little road users solemnly cut the red ribbon. The event was continued by Dmitry Stebakov, a coach of the “Risk-Free Road Traffic” Expert Center, who gave a tour for all comers, presenting the mobile center for children, and talked about the elements of the program. In the spacious hall of the educational institution he demonstrated an equipped ground with cones, stands, a mock-up table, bicycles, and elements of the road transport network, where children learnt difficult aspects of the safe traffic rules. After the end of the open lesson the coach of the Expert Center answered the questions of representatives of the education community, who were keenly interested in teaching methods and the elements of the ground. The central part of the event was a press conference which, on the eve of the International Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, opened with a minute of silence. The introductory speech was given by Nataliya Poluyanova, the Deputy Governor of Belgorod Region and the Head of the Department of Education, who said: “Safety of children on the road is one of the priorities of our region. Such projects as the “Safety Laboratory”, a unique workshop that is necessary for every school, every region, is an important element in the system of education. Now it is available in Belgorod Region”. Nikolay Smolyakov, the Chief State Motor Vehicle Inspector of Belgorod Region, stressed: “We can see some successes achieved by the Region in the field of prevention of children road traffic injuries. However, with the help of the mobile playground “Safety Laboratory” roads and streets on Belgorod land will become even safer for our children.” The Russian Association of Motor Insurers was presented at the event by Aleksandr Yakimov, an Advisor to the Association’s President, who stated: “The “Safety Laboratory” is a unique project which involved the best experts and specialists of the highest level, who directly participated in the development and adaptation of methods for the widest audience.” At the press conference Vadim Melnikov, the General Director of the “Risk-Free Road Traffic” Expert Center, stressed: “We are happy that the first region, as part of the second wave, is namely Belgorod Region. Previously, together with the Region’s leaders, we already carried out social campaign for road safety in your region: “Keep Distance” in 2016; and in the early 2017, Belgorod land joined the “Crosswalk Concerns”. And today, in the continuation of the already ongoing, large-scale work, we are opening the “Safety Laboratory”. Words of support and gratitude to the organizers of the project also came from the parents, whose children live and study in Belgorod Region. At the end of the press conference representatives of the media could ask questions to the speakers and take photos. For two years of the program implementation, it is planned to involve thirty regions in total. To date 10 centers for road traffic safety operate in the territory of the Russian Federation. Before the end of the year it is planned to open new centers in the Republic of Komi, North Ossetia – Alania, Kabardino-Balkaria, Udmurtia, Khabarovsk and Krasnoyarsk Territories, Ulyanovsk and Ryazan Regions.
- 11/10 Today, on October 11, the press center of the TASS Information Agency hosted a press conference dedicate to launching the all-Russian social campaign to promote road traffic safety: “Reason for Overtaking”. The press-conference was attended by representatives of the Russian Association of Motor Insurers (RUIA), the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, the State Motor Vehicle Inspectorate of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the “Risk-Free Road Traffic” Expert Center. The press conference participants stated that road traffic safety is one of the social and economic tasks given priority and has increased attention of the Government. Opening the press conference, Igor Yurgens, the RAMI’s President, told about the results of the first stage of the Russian President’s instructions implementation, and noted that since introducing the compulsory civil liability motor-vehicle insurance system (OSAGO) in our country, the Russian Association of Motor Insurers, together with experts in road traffic safety, have already organized tens of social campaigns. “This issue brings together the public and private interests, – the RAMI’s President said, – The insurer’s “self-interest” is to minimize the overall accident rate. But, surely, we consider campaigns for children as the most important ones. For us, together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the “Risk-Free Road Traffic” Expert Center, it means establishing full-fledged Centers to prepare children for adult life on the road in 30 regions”, Yurgens concluded, meaning the vehicle playgrounds, i.e. “Safety Laboratory,” created in line with the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation issued during a meeting of the State Council for road traffic safety in March 2016. These Laboratories are already available in 10 of 30 planned regions. Larisa Falkovskaya, the Deputy Director of the Department of State Policy in the Field of Children’s Right Protection of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, also stated the importance of vehicle playgrounds for working with children in regions and reminded that mobile road traffic safety Centers ensure both the technical part and the methodological basis. “As part of this project, our colleagues have developed a large set of methodical documents, which includes even a script for conducting classes by ages to cover absolutely all categories. In the Department we are studying the possibility to publish all these documents upon the project completion, so that every educational institution could use them in their activity.” The conference participants could also study the recent statistics of road accidents which occurred due to overtaking. This data was presented by Major-General of Police Vladimir Kuzin, the Deputy Head of the Main Regional Road Traffic Safety Inspectorate of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs: “For 9 months of the current year, we have registered over 1,500 RTAs related to violation of overtaking rules. As a result of these maneuvers, 2,598 people were injured. These are very big numbers. At the same time, it should be noted that, unfortunately, more than 2/3 of this number of RTAs occurred due to driving on the oncoming lane in places where it is totally forbidden. And in such a situation, unfortunately, the consequences are extremely severe.” Vladimir Kuzin also stated that in the above period the number of road accidents involving passenger vehicles (buses) has increased. “As a rule, such accidents, – Kuzin reminded, – have grave consequences for a large number of people.” According to a sociological survey, conducted by the “Risk-Free Road Traffic” Expert Center, many road users not only do not know the rules of overtaking, but also confuse the definitions of “overtaking” and “outdistancing”. Nataliya Agre, the President of the “Risk-Free Road Traffic” Expert Center, told about this at the conference, presenting the results of the survey conducted by the “Risk-Free Road Traffic” Expert Center in cooperation with the All-Russia Public Opinion Research Center at the RAMI’s request, emphasizing that respondents consider overtaking as the most difficult and dangerous maneuver: 48% of them are sure that they are able to make a safe overtaking, and 53% of Russians believe that overtaking provides them a significant gain in time. Noting the importance and relevance of the project, Vladimir Lugovenko, the Deputy Director of the Department for State Policy in the Field of Motor and Urban Public Transport of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, noted the uniqueness of the new campaign’s line aimed at working with professional drivers: “This is correct. Moreover, the Russian Ministry of Transport is now working under instructions of Igor Shuvalov on increasing the skills of professional drivers specifically. It is also important to constantly convey new information to this category of individuals, not when issuing them their driver’s licenses, that have been obtained by them 30 years ago.” Before giving the floor to Dmitry Guberniev, the key figure of the “Reason for Overtaking” campaign, the guests and participants of the press conference could see the social video entitled “Commentator” with the Dmitry’s participation. The central Russian TV channels will air this video from October 13 to November 12. “I am grateful to those people who are engaged in road traffic safety, not only for the opportunity to participate in this event, but also for the opportunity to look at our life in a different way, – Dmitry Guberniev said. – I realize that I now have a high level of social responsibility, and I will try come up to it.” Concluding the press conference, its participants noted that the social campaign “Reason for Overtaking” is an important element in the development of not only driving skills, but also the culture of behavior on the motor roads. For reference: The all-Russian social project “Reason for Overtaking” is implemented by the Russian Association of Motor Insurers in line with the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation following the meeting of the State Council for road traffic safety. As part of the “Reason for Overtaking” campaign, there have been developed a set of promotional and educational activities, covering almost all population groups: kindergarten children, schoolchildren, students, driving school pupils, novice and experienced drivers, elderly people, and people with disabilities. In each of the 10 regions of the Russian Federation where the “Reason for Overtaking” social campaign will be carried out, the “Risk-Free Road Traffic” Expert Center will involve schools, kindergartens, higher and secondary vocational educational institutions, driving schools, transport companies, railway and bus stations, registration departments of the State Road Traffic Safety Inspectorate, gas stations, pension funds, outpatient hospitals, shopping and entertainment centers. The social campaign is implemented in 10 constituent entities of the Russian Federation, in 6 federal districts. Central Federal District Moscow Belgorod Region Bryansk Region Northwestern Federal District Republic of Komi Volga Federal District Ulyanovsk Region Republic of Udmurtia Urals Federal District Tyumen Region Siberian Federal District Krasnoyarsk Territory Irkutsk Region Far-East Federal Region Primorye Territory
- 28/09 On September 28, the “Risk-Free Road Traffic” Expert Center with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation held the round table discussion “Safety as a New Trend in Clothing. Relevance of Integrating Reflective Elements in Designing and Production of Children’s Clothing”. The round table was organized as part of the 23rd International Exhibition “The World of Childhood 2017”. Before the start of expert discussion, manufacturers of children's clothing demonstrated children's clothing with reflective elements to the discussion participants. The models were presented by the SweetBerry and Mamasvet companies. Reflective elements on the presented specimens were integrated both in children’s clothing and in accessories (covers for backpacks). Opening the expert discussion, Olesya Kuthurova, the Project Head of the “Risk-Free Road Traffic” Expert Center, noted that in the beginning of autumn and winter period the issue of using reflective elements is especially pressing. According to statistics, a significant number of road accidents involving pedestrian children occur from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The data of the State Motor Vehicle Inspectorate of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs for the first six months of 2017 shows an increasing number of RTAs involving children: 10,038 RTAs involving children under 16 years old, including 3,763 RTAs involving kids on pedestrian crossings. According to Olesya Kuthurova, “The number of road accidents could be reduced, if children had reflective elements in their clothes. They make clothes both attractive and fashionable for young people, but most important, they make their owners visible on the road.” The use of reflective elements in children’s clothing is supported not only by manufacturers and experts, but also by executive bodies. Continuing the discussion, Olga Pozdynakova, the Senior Inspector of the Department of Public Awareness in the Field of Road Safety and Children’s Road Accident Injuries of the Main Directorate for Road Traffic Safety of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, told about the measures taken by her agency to reduce the number of RTAs involving children. In particular, she stated that 6 constituent entities of the Russian Federation held in 2017 a social campaign “Light Up!” to promote the use of retro-reflective elements in clothing. According to Olga Pozdynakova, the main question for today is the control over the use of reflective elements by children. Continuing the discussion, Larisa Sanatovskaya, the Executive Director of the National Parents’ Association for Social Support and Protection of Family Values, noted that reflective elements must be not only integrated in clothes, but also it is necessary to use accessories, such as wristbands and covers for backpacks, stickers, etc. “Today in many regions kids often use reflective elements as an element of culture: they conduct master classes for their manufacture and create a theater of shadows and light. This is an additional promotion factor for such important and simple road safety elements as reflectors”, Larisa Sanatovskaya said. Concluding her speech, she expressed a fairly simple and clear idea, or appeal: “without refractors, you have neither chance to realize yourself, nor evolve a personality.”
- 05/09 On August 31, the Governmental Commission for Road Safety held a meeting chaired by Igor Shuvalov, the First Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation. The event was attended by Mikhail Chernikov, the Head of the State Motor Vehicle Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as representatives of ministries, agencies, and non-governmental organizations – members of the Commission. Before the official part of the event, the members of the Commission were invited to visit an exhibition of significant projects in the field of road traffic safety, that is currently implemented in Russia. In his speech, Mikhail Chernikov, the Head of the State Motor Vehicle Inspectorate, noted that the current situation around the road traffic safety reflects in many respects the work that has been done over the past five years. This activity is based on decisions taken at a meeting of the Presidium of the State Council, the government plans to reduce mortality rate, the decisions of the Commission for Road Traffic Safety, as well as the Federal Target Program. The executive authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation have also changed their attitude to the problem of road traffic injuries. Thus, today all regions are implementing programs to improve road safety and, in fact, they have formed unified approaches to reducing damage to the State and society as a result of road traffic accidents. For example, currently, pursuant to the President’s instructions, the State Motor Vehicle Inspectorate of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Russian Association of Motor Insurers and the “Risk-Free Road Traffic” Expert Center have developed a large-scale program on the establishment of centers for the prevention of children road traffic injuries – “Safety Laboratory”. It provides for the full involvement of children in the process of understanding the risks on the road and education of responsible citizens who comply with traffic laws, having a culture of behavior in the transport environment. The training program includes several stages: for children accompanied by adults, for unaccompanied minors, and for future drivers. There are separately provided modules in which teachers and parents are trained. The uniqueness of the methodology lies in the affordable way of presenting information, a wide audience coverage, and the program’s mobility using the mobile “Safety Laboratory”. This is a vehicle that allows for the full staff of teachers to travel to remote areas of the Region and to bring with them all the necessary equipment for conducting classes based on the developed methods. Inside the vehicle, there are bicycles, push stand-up scooters, cones, demonstration stands, mock-up tables, elements of the road network, as well as a model of a bus stop and a bus model, allowing to simulate traffic situations in the learning process. And the “Safety Laboratory” vehicle itself is also an element of training, allowing to practice various exercises. The mobile part of the project – the “Safety Laboratory” vehicle – was presented at the exhibition before the meeting to Igor Shuvalov, the First Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, and members of the Governmental Commission for Road Safety, who have appreciated its functionality and prospects for using it in the most remote areas of the country. Commenting on the campaign for opening centers, Igor Yurgens, the President of the Russian Association of Motor Insurers, noted that the world insurance community pays a special attention to the road traffic injury prevention. “The Russian Association of Motor Insurers is a traditional partner of this project, and we are delighted to see the positive results achieved in this field. I really hope that kids who will be trained will grow active and competent road users and, surely, it will be useful if they share their knowledge with adults”, I. Yurgens said. The RAMI’s President emphasized that the project will pay a special attention to the work with children with disabilities. According to Nataliya Agre, the President of the “Risk-Free Road Traffic” Expert Center, to date the “Safety Laboratories” have opened their doors and are successfully operating in ten regions: Tula, Tambov, Kostroma, Smolensk, Yaroslavl, Voronezh, Leningrad, Vladimir, Kaluga Regions, and the Republic of Khakassia. During the two years of the project implementation it is planned to involve 30 regions of the country in total, where over 120 thousand people will be trained.
