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...
Read
- 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
- 10/04 The representatives of the Expert Center Road Safety Russia took part in the 5th International Summit of non-commercial organizations working for road safety, which took place from 3 to 6 of April 2017 in Kuala-Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. Elena Borisenko Key Analyst of the Center and Alexander Revskiy Deputy Director of the Center shared by Russian experience of realization of social campaigns of road safety during a series of seminars, as well as during the exhibition-presentation of all NGOs (Non-commercial organizations), which took place on 5 and 6 of April. The last campaign of the center - "Difficulties of crossing", caused a special interest among participants of the event. Many participants of the Summit supported the project – they were been photographed with the hashtags #LETPEDESTRIANPASS #THANKUDRIVER. The project "Laboratory of Safety" was also presented to foreign partners, which is being realized by the Russian Association of Motor Insurers (RAMI) and the State Road Traffic Inspectorate at the Russian Ministry of Interior by support of Road Safety Russia under the program of formation of the centers for the prevention of child road traffic injuries. The program is realized following the meeting of the Presidium of the State Council of the Russian Federation on March 14, 2016, as part of fulfillment of paragraph of second sub-paragraph "o" of clause 3 №Пр-637ГС of The List of orders of the Russian Federation President of April 11, 2016. At present, has been already opened three innovations centers "Laboratory of Safety", during two years of the project's realization is planning participation of the 30 regions of the country. Under the Summit, the scales of the projects "Laboratory of Safety" and "Difficulties of crossing" were highly appreciated by the experts of international organizations. In the several round tables to main themes of the UN Decade of Action the participants were involved at the last day of the event. At round table on management of road safety Deputy Director of Expert Center Road Safety Russia Alexander Revskiy spoke about experiences in realization of training projects and working with different target audiences on road safety in Russia. He accented the necessity of continual work to improve the culture of all road users, as the basis for road safety. Key Analyst Elena Borisenko on Section of road safety of road users in the framework of discussion of further cooperation between the Alliance members proposed to be more open about information and best practices - to provide closer communication between NGOs and The State. At the conclusion of the Summit, all participants solemnly signing the Malaysian Declaration, as accented the necessity of such events as main instrument of experience sharing and efforts coordination of all countries to combating within road traffic injuries. The 5th International Summit was organized by the International Alliance of Non-commercial Organizations of Road Safety, which takes place every two years and gathers more than 200 NGOs from more than 70 countries. Assistance on organizing of the event was provided by the Malaysian Road Safety Institute (MIROS), World Health Organization, World Bank, FedEx. The agenda included more than 15 seminars, panel discussions, round tables. All participants could to exchange the best practices of road safety, to share their experience of solving a quantity of problems they face in their activities. At Grand Opening all NGO participants were greeting by Dato Sri Liow Tiong Lai, Minister of Transport of Malaysia; Christian Friis-Bach, UNECE; Jean Todt, UN special delegate for road safety; Etienne Krug, World Health Organization; Marc Shotten, World Bank; Saul Billingsley, FIA Foundation and Jeffrey Witte, Global NGO Alliance on Road Safety. The Malaysian Declaration was presented at Opening ceremony, according to which all members of the Alliance promise to work actively with their governments, corporations, academic world and other NGOs to support and realizes the UN Decade of Action 2011-2020, as well as protect the most vulnerable road users, and on the basis of Conventions on the Rights of Children and on the Rights of Disabled. The goal of the Alliance members remain in achieving the indicators of the UN plan for sustainable development - to decrease at half the number of dead and injured in road accident by 2020. In May would be The 4th World Road Safety week of UN, were reminded to all participants. The topic of the week will be speed enforcement, the main hashtag of all activities within this week - #SLOWDOWN. The main topics of the round tables, seminars and discussions during these days were child safety and usage of child restraints, creation of a safe environment for children around schools; creation of a safe environment for education; work with the state and business structures on increasing of road safety; usage of helmets by drivers of motor vehicles; rehabilitation of victims of road accidents. In addition to the round tables and seminars, the organizers conducted several outreach events and flash mobs dedicated to road safety issues, in particular speed limits (the #SLOWDOWN campaign) and usage of helmets by drivers of motor vehicles. The representatives of the Expert Center Road Safety Russia took part in the 5th International Summit of non-commercial organizations working for road safety, which took place from 3 to 6 of April 2017 in Kuala-Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. Elena Borisenko Key Analyst of the Center and Alexander Revskiy Deputy Director of the Center shared by Russian experience of realization of social campaigns of road safety during a series of seminars, as well as during the exhibition-presentation of all NGOs (Non-commercial organizations), which took place on 5 and 6 of April. The last campaign of the center - "Difficulties of crossing", caused a special interest among participants of the event. Many participants of the Summit supported the project – they were been photographed with the hashtags # GIVEWAYTOPEDESTRIANS # THANKYOUDRIVER. The project "Laboratory of Safety" was also presented to foreign partners, which is being realized by the Russian Association of Motor Insurers (RAMI) and the State Road Traffic Inspectorate at the Russian Ministry of Interior by support of Road Safety Russia under the program of formation of the centers for the prevention of child road traffic injuries.The program is realized following the meeting of the Presidium of the State Council of the Russian Federation on March 14, 2016, as part of fulfillment of paragraph of second sub-paragraph "o" of clause 3 №Пр-637ГС of The List of orders of the Russian Federation President of April 11, 2016. At present, has been already opened three innovations centers "Laboratory of Safety", during two years of the project's realization is planning participation of the 30 regions of the country. Under the Summit, the scales of the projects "Laboratory of Safety" and "Difficulties of crossing" were highly appreciated by the experts of international organizations. In the several round tables to main themes of the UN Decade of Action the participants were involved at the last day of the event. At round table on management of road safety Deputy Director of Expert Center Road Safety Russia Alexander Revskiy spoke about experiences in realization of training projects and working with different target audiences on road safety in Russia. He accented the necessity of continual work to improve the culture of all road users, as the basis for road safety. Key Analyst Elena Borisenko on Section of road safety of road users in the framework of discussion of further cooperation between the Alliance members proposed to be more open about information and best practices - to provide closer communication between NGOs and The State. At the conclusion of the Summit, all participants solemnly signing the Malaysian Declaration, as accented the necessity of such events as main instrument of experience sharing and efforts coordination of all countries to combating within road traffic injuries. The 5th International Summit was organized by the International Alliance of Non-commercial Organizations of Road Safety, which takes place every two years and gathers more than 200 NGOs from more than 70 countries. Assistance on organizing of the event was provided by the Malaysian Road Safety Institute (MIROS), World Health Organization, World Bank, FedEx. The agenda included more than 15 seminars, panel discussions, round tables. All participants could to exchange the best practices of road safety, to share their experience of solving a quantity of problems they face in their activities. At Grand Opening all NGO participants were greeting by Dato Sri Liow Tiong Lai, Minister of Transport of Malaysia; Christian Friis-Bach, UNECE; Jean Todt, UN special delegate for road safety; Etienne Krug, World Health Organization; Marc Shotten, World Bank; Saul Billingsley, FIA Foundation and Jeffrey Witte, Global NGO Alliance on Road Safety. The Malaysian Declaration was presented at Opening ceremony, according to which all members of the Alliance promise to work actively with their governments, corporations, academic world and other NGOs to support and realizes the UN Decade of Action 2011-2020, as well as protect the most vulnerable road users, and on the basis of Conventions on the Rights of Children and on the Rights of Disabled.The goal of the Alliance members remain in achieving the indicators of the UN plan for sustainable development - to decrease at half the number of dead and injured in road accident by 2020. In May would be The 4th World Road Safety week of UN, were reminded to all participants. The topic of the week will be speed enforcement, the main hashtag of all activities within this week - #SLOWDOWN. The main topics of the round tables, seminars and discussions during these days were child safety and usage of child restraints, creation of a safe environment for children around schools; creation of a safe environment for education; work with the state and business structures on increasing of road safety; usage of helmets by drivers of motor vehicles; rehabilitation of victims of road accidents. In addition to the round tables and seminars, the organizers conducted several outreach events and flash mobs dedicated to road safety issues, in particular speed limits (the #SLOWDOWN campaign) and usage of helmets by drivers of motor vehicles.
- 22/02 February 21, 2017 – Russian social video named “Jawsy” won a prize at the 2017 Global Road Safety Film Festival in Geneva. Jawsy took an award in the Innovations in Road Safety Education category. Jawsy was a centerpiece of a large-scale social campaign by the State Road Traffic Inspectorate at the Russian Ministry of Interior, the Russian Association of Motor Insurers (RAMI), and Road Safety Russia. The campaign was held last spring and aimed to show the importance of keeping a safe following distance, as well as the consequences and dangers of breaking it. Today the film’s received an award in the Innovations in Road Safety Education category at the Global Road Safety Film Festival held in Geneva, at Palais des Nations. Russian Minister of Transportation Maxim Sokolov, RSRussia President and Deputy President of the Russian Transportation Ministry Public Council Natalia Agre represented Russia within the work of the international group of experts and during the official award ceremony. “This award represents the high regard of our European colleagues for the work we do in Russia”, – noted Natalia Agre. The jury of the festival included more than a hundred members of expert community from various European countries, international organizations and state departments. “We all know the difficult political situation we are in today. This awards once again shows that our work is above politics; we are joined by one goal and one goal only: to make it happen that the number of road deaths was getting closer to zero with each passing year” – added RSRussia President. RAMI President Igor Jurgens feels that all social projects on road safety primarily aim to save people’s lives and their health: “We are basically talking about saving our people. The fact that our advances in this area has received recognition on such a level shows that we are on the right path and are able to meet international standards”. It should be noted that the number of road deaths in Russia has decreased by 38% in the last decade – with a strong tendency for further reduction in accident rates recorded over the last couple of years. Only in January-December of the previous year, the number of people killed in road accidents has decreased by 28 hundred people, in comparison with the corresponding period of 2015. The State Road Traffic Inspectorate Head, Police Lieutenant General Viktor Nilov said that such numbers resulted from hard and joint work by state, public and commercial institutions. “The award once again emphasizes the level of attention the world community pays to road safety problems, as well as the quality of ongoing national level projects and the Russian competence in matters of road safety propaganda”, – noted Nilov. It's not the first time that Russian social campaigns by the State Road Traffic Inspectorate, RAMI and RSRussia have received international recognition: in 2016, Pictograms short film and Invisible Menace documentary both won prestigious awards at the 1st European Road Safety Film Festival and the International Motor Show in Frankfurt within the AutoVision international festival. Note: The Global Road Safety Film Festival is organized by Laser International Foundation (LIFE), under the aegis of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the European Union, the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration and the partnership of PRI. Representatives of 43 European countries took part in the 2017 Festival. Keep the Distance All-Russian social campaign was launched in spring 2016. It aimed to inform road users on the importance of keeping a safe following distance, as well as to show how to determine if their following distance was safe, how their safety distance-wise depended on weather conditions, their physical and emotional state. According to the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (WCIOM), Keep the Distance campaign had a significant impact on the number of traffic violations related to the issue. Survey held upon the completion of the campaign showed that 70% of the respondents learned the correct way of determining a safe following distance and the importance of it in the overall road safety system.
- 04/07 Novice drivers in Moscow had an opportunity to pass a unique course of "Ford`s Academy of safe driving", which was designed for drivers with experience of less than three years, and participants thinking about receiving a driving license. The event took place on July, 2nd on the waterfront of Gorky Park and was dedicated to the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the state traffic Inspectorate. The project was implemented by Ford Sollers company in partnership with the "Traffic without danger" Expert center, with the support of traffic police of the MIA of Russia. The aim of the social program "Ford`s Academy of safe driving" is to teach novice drivers the skills of protective driving style*. Moscow became the fifth city where in 2016 the training within the project was held. The training program is based on the most widely-spread causes of accidents with novice drivers, and includes only practical exercises. During the one day of work, "Ford`s Academy of safe driving" was attended by more than 1000 people. Each of them was able to receive a valuable advice from professional instructors – winners of the international competitions of Motorsport, and to complete a complex of four exercises. Each of them helps to teach the skills of safe behavior and allows you to experience the real risks of unsafe behavior behind the wheel. In one of the blocks of the program, participants were explained what distractions await them on the road and showed on practice, how the quality of driving is affected by the use of various gadgets, including texting, chatting in messengers, attempts to do a selfie while driving, updating the feed of social networks or simple conversation on the phone. Special attention was paid to the problem of drunk driving. In order to demonstrate how alcohol affects the control of the vehicle, an innovative Fatal Vision goggles were used, which distort the perception of space. In the end, each participant was able to understand to what grave consequences from the attempt of driving while intoxicated may result. In the area, designed to explain the main principles of communication and interaction between road users, guests could try themselves in the role of drivers of cars and trucks and also two wheels vehicles. This way, could understand where the blind spots of the truck and the car on their own experience. Because of this, we are also able to explain the need for constant monitoring of mirrors and to demonstrate their optimal settings, to remind about the changeover rules and safety when reverse driving. On the site also worked a unique imitating collision`s simulator, whereby the participants were able to understand the effectiveness of seat belts in case of a abrupt halt at speeds up to 15 km/h. In this area the guests taught not only to use seat belts, but also to correctly use a baby car seats because of young participants of traffic needs security no less than adults. The "Ford`s Academy of safe driving" large photozone with the Ford Mustang, which embodies the beauty of classic American cars has earned guest`s and audiences love. One of the honorary guests was the Chief of head Department of ensuring road safety, the General Lieutenant of police Victor Nilov: " Many drivers are convinced, that if you had significant driving experience, there is no need for continuous improvement of their driving skills. Many of the exercises are useful for drivers with a great experience, no less than for novice drivers, for whom the Academy safe driving`s training are created for. Unfortunately, we can`t cover the required number of drivers in conduction of such programs, therefore it`s necessary to adopt all of the best and to include these elements in driving courses", he said. As noted by Natalia Agre, the President of the "Traffic without danger" Expert Center, a total of three years implementation of the program had visited 13 regions, where more than 4,000 novice drivers could learn the skills of protective driving: "We are constantly improving the project and expanding it with new interesting and useful elements, that allow young drivers feeling more confident and safe on the road. During these three years we received hundreds of positive reviews. The participants thanked the organizers for the knowledge and skills, but also noted that they changed their behavior on the road: not only they become more responsible and considerate, but also actively applied the skills of defensive driving into practice". The "Ford`s Academy of safe driving" program is part of a global social project of the Ford Driving Skills for Life, that was launched by the Ford Motor Company in the United States in 2003. Implementation in Europe started in 2013, and Russia entered into the list of the participating countries in 2014. Today the project is being implemented in more than 20 countries around the world. Over the past 13 years, the program Ford Driving Skills for Life has reached great success in the United States and has helped more than 815 000 novice drivers in achieving invaluable driving skills worldwide – more than 165 000 people passed a practical training and a further 650 000 have been trained online. Detailed information about the project can be found on the official website of the program www.dsfl.ru
- 01/06 Dear friends! Heartily, I congratulate you with International Children's Day! This is your day, and I hope that, it will be filled with attention and care of relatives, pleasant surprises, happy anticipation of the holidays starting soon and meeting friends. Here is entire summer of opportunities, as well as great responsibility. Wherever you go, for a walk or meeting, you should remember the rules of the road safety. Sometimes much depends on your conduct and even life. As soon as you came out of the entrance or gates of the house, you should be especially attentive. Walking around the car, bus, or running across the road on a crosswalk, do not forget to look around. If you or your younger siblings under the age of 12, then you have a right for personal car seat in the car. And you shouldn`t stay in the cabin alone, even for a moment. No one should be alone in a closed car. Remind your parents, that a purchase of new bicycle – is an excellent opportunity to get a great helmet. In the evening, wear bright clothes, so you will be noticed not only by your friends, but also by passing cars. Use reflective badges and play in those places, which provided for games. Ask your parents to tell you about road terms and concepts, the meaning of signs and other elements of the road. Be persistent! As you are already independent and have a right to know everything. Share new knowledge with your friends. Perhaps, you will not only earn their respect, but also will be a real hero, who protected them from dangerous situations. Once again, I congratulate you, and hope that this day will bring many good and positive emotions! A president of non-governmental organization “Road Safety Russia” Natalia Agre
- 04/04 For more than eight years, Road Safety Russia has been developing and implementing federal projects on road safety improvement and raising awareness on road safety topics. With 15 All-Russian communication campaigns already realized, it is safe to say that Russian mentality is one of the most influential factors of road safety education. Road Safety Russia shows that road safety education can only be possible with a continuous approach, with educational programs accompanying road users from their early years to adulthood: trainings for parents in perinatal centers; interactive programs for kindergarteners and primary school students; educational classes for middle and high school students, highlighting the importance of road safety for driving school students; reminding adults of their responsibility towards the safety of children. Our expertise acquired and multiplied with each and every of our campaigns allows us to say that one of the most effective instruments in bringing up a responsible and educated future generation is the integration of road safety topics into the existing school curriculum. With this purpose, as well as in order to support the activities undertaken by the Russian Ministry of Education, Road Safety Russia has developed a unique educational instrument - an interactive lesson. Within the Keep the Distance All-Russian social campaign, initiated by the State Road Traffic Inspectorate at the Russian Ministry of Interior, Russian Association of Motor Insurers, and Road Safety Russia, interactive lessons “Safe following distance – foundation of safety for all” will be introduced in more than 300 schools. High school students will be able to apply physics formulas and the Newton’s law to calculate the braking and stopping distance in order to see for themselves how braking distance depends on the speed of the vehicle. Physics basics will help the students to learn the significance of road safety rules. The lesson consists of solving several problems and presenting homework on the safe following distance topic. By the end of the lesson, both students and teachers will have spelled out key principles of safety, including those of road safety. That way, road safety education received by students today will help them become responsible and careful road users in the future. It is safe to say that similar integration of interactive lessons can help resolve not only road safety problems, but also a whole series of topical social issues in the country. Within the Keep the Distance campaign, special physics lessons will be held in 11 Russian regions: Smolensk, Leningrad, Belgorod, Perm, Saratov, Krasnoyarsk, Rostov, Khabarovsk, Stavropol regions, Republic of Crimea, Sevastopol.
- 24/03 Ford Defensive Driving Academy by Ford Sollers and Road Safety Russia came to Russia within a global social project Ford Driving Skills for Life. Young drivers in Voronezh, Krasnodar, Volgograd, and Astrakhan will have the opportunity to participate in free trainings on defensive driving in April-May of 2016. The program specifically targets most common mistakes made by young drivers, which is why such trainings aim to engage drivers with less than three years of driving experience. Ford Defensive Driving Academy 2016 timetable: · Voronezh: April 21 – 24; · Krasnodar: April 28 – May 1; · Volgograd: May 5 – 8; · Astrakhan: May 12 – 15. For training participation, you need to complete online registration at the official website of the program. According to statistics, in 2015, drivers with less than three years of experience were at fault in 22,371 road accidents in Russia - marking a decrease of 22.2% in comparison with the corresponding numbers of 2016. These accidents claimed lives of 2,432 people (a decrease of 26.0%) and resulted in injuries of 31,132 people (decrease of 22.4%)*. When it comes to young drivers, road accident rates show a significant improvement. However, the numbers remain high, which indicates the importance of Ford Defensive Driving Academy for Russia. Ford Defensive Driving Academy marked two years of operation in Russia. Since 2014, more than 2,400 young drivers from nine Russian regions have participated in the program. In the course of two years, Ford Defensive Driving Academy visited Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kazan, Nizhniy Novgorod, Ekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Ufa, Samara, and Rostov-na-Donu. Significant changes have been made to the program in 2016 – expertise of two years of trainings in Russia allowed the organizers to expand the program and make it more efficient. The Ford Defensive Driving Academy trainings cover various topics, including how to react in case of emergencies on the road, how to adapt your speed to different situations, how to keep a safe following distance. Several exercises cover the issue of communication between road users. The trainings will also include exercises on seat belts, distractions on the road, and blind zones. About Ford Driving Skills for Life Ford Driving Skills for Life was the first project within the automotive industry to aim to provide free education for drivers with little driving experience. In the course of 11 years, more than 650,000 drivers participated in the program all around the world, including 13,500 drivers from eleven European countries. Twenty four hundred of those were able to get free education on defensive driving in nine regions of the Russian Federation. Only this year, the program will continue in another 13 countries, including Finland and Poland, with estimated engagement of about 7,000 drivers. The program covers such road safety aspects, as timely recognition and prediction of potential dangers, speed adjustment, social-media-associated risks (for example, texting or making selfies when driving), as well as driving under the influence.
- 16/03 In Yaroslavl, President Vladimir Putin presided over a State Council meeting on road safety in the Russian Federation. Federal authorities’ representatives, high-level regional officials participated in the event. Opening the meeting, Vladimir Putin noted that the topic of road safety was discussed in detail during a State Council meeting yet in 2005 - about eleven years ago. This discussion resulted in important legislative amendments, as well as changes in traffic rules and, more importantly, in initiation and realization of the Federal Target Program for 2006-2012. In eleven years, significant results have been achieved when it comes to road safety: death rates plummeted from 34,000 killed in 2005 to 23,1000 killed in 2015 (decrease of 32%). Road injury rates among children were cut by half: from 1,341 killed in 2005 to 4,841 killed in 2015. Significant progress has been made in improving road safety culture among all road users, especially when it comes to seat belts and child restraint systems. According to Road Safety Russia and WCIOM, car seats are now used by 59% of parents when transporting a child (in comparison with 32% in 2011). Drivers now buckle up in 71% of cases, comparing to mere 32% in 2007. These achievements were recognized by the President. Vladimir Putin noted that not only road accident death rates halved, it happened alongside with the active motorization of the Russian Federation (1.5 increase in motor fleet). He stated, that in many Russian cities there were 300 vehicles per 1,000 of the population, and these numbers would only grow. The President noted that further efforts on road safety required coordination of activities on all levels, as well as cooperation between federal and local authorities, related departments and businesses. Putin stressed out the necessity of improvement of the legislation regulating various aspects of road safety. According to the President, when it comes to reducing death and injury rates on the Russian roads, the key lies in education and formation of road safety culture among all road users. This implies following traffic rules, being responsible, careful, and respectful on the road, recognizing responsibility for your life and lives of others, as well as prioritizing road safety above all. Formation of road culture should begin in the very first years of life. That is why Vladimir Putin highlighted the priority of educating children on safe road behavior. “We need to develop special programs implying the creation of road education centers in schools and child road injuries prevention centers”, Putin said. According to the Road Safety Russia president, Natalia Agre, the idea of a continuous education for drivers and pedestrians has existed for a long time. However, developing such educational and informational programs requires involvement of qualified road safety experts, with their profound expertise crucial for sustainable results. “You can’t just have classes in kindergartens and schools for appearance's sake. We need to make sure that educational programs are up to par, that our teachers and instructors have extensive training and necessary qualifications. Moscow and some other Russian cities already have numerous centers for children’s road safety education, however, those center lack successful educational programs, as well as competent teachers or instructors”, said Natalia Agre. Over the past three years, Road Safety Russia together with the State Road Traffic Inspectorate at the Russian Ministry of Interior and the Russian Association of Motor Insurers have been putting into action the idea of a continuous road safety education in more than forty Russian regions. Special classes in kindergartens, primary and high schools, universities produced positive results: regions-participants of social campaigns experienced reduction of road accident and injuries rates. When it comes to driving schools, road safety education receives insufficient coverage, with most of the curriculum being centered on traffic rules and driving skills. Moreover, driving schools are mostly attended by adults with already formed personalities, which is why it’s harder to correct their behavior at this point. However, most road accidents happen due to poor road culture. Continuous approach to road safety education helps form road culture from the very first years of life, which results in positive long-term effects, including bringing up a future generation of responsible and respectful road users.
- 07/03 Jawsy video is a centerpiece of a new large-scale social campaign by the State Road Traffic Inspectorate at the Russian Ministry of Interior, the Russian Association of Motor Insurers (RAMI), and Road Safety Russia. The campaign aims to attract the attention of drivers to the topic of keeping a safe following distance, and to improve road safety culture among all road users. For more than eight years, the State Road Traffic Inspectorate at the Russian Ministry of Interior, RAMI and RSRussia have been successful in forming road safety culture in Russia. These years resulted in many an effective social campaign and in a significant improvement in road safety culture. The professional community all around the world has recognized Russian innovations and experience: in September 2015, the Safety Forecast project received the Special award of the UNECE Forum of Road Safety at the 1st European road safety film festival for the Invisible Menace educational film, as well as more than 30 awards on different international and Russian platforms. According to a joint study by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (WCIOM) and Road Safety Russia, twenty percent of Russian citizens have relatives or friends that received injuries in road accidents, with 86% of drivers being positive that failure to keep a safe following distance is the most frequent cause of road accidents on Russian roads. «Every day Russian drivers disregard keeping safe following distance in order to save themselves a couple of seconds on the road. We want to remind them that this seemingly harmless action can lead to catastrophic consequences, and that the seconds you save are not worth risking your life and lives of others» – noted RSRussia president Natalia Agre. Disregard for the rules of safe following distance is pretty common on the road. This topic is brought to light in Jawsy – a new video by RSRussia. It depicts a typical situation on the road: once car gets dangerously close to another due to an unexpected braking. What is original is the way of telling us this story – with the help of a little girls and a goldfish. Playful tunes are artfully replaced by a dangerous turn of events, though the ending is happy no matter what. The video aims not to school the viewers, but to reach out to them with the help of humor, expression, and surprise. This fact allows to engage both children and adults, and to show them the importance of keeping a safe distance. Jawsy is available on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni68P3AsDg0) and on korins.ru. Jawsy will start being aired on federal TV channels on March 4, 2016. This will be done mostly pro bono due to the fact that TV channels are highly interested in broadcasting high-quality social ads. The All-Russian project is being carried out by Zavod Consulting communication agency.
- 04/03 Any vehicle is potentially dangerous for drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. Twenty percent of Russian citizens have relatives or friends that received injuries in road accidents, eight percent have lost their relatives to road accidents. However, cars are not responsible for that statistics; it is people that operate them, that have the biggest influence, as human error is the main cause of most road accidents. Over the last eight years, Road Safety Russian and The All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (WCIOM) has conducted nation-wide sociological research, creating a rating of most common causes of road accidents. This survey-based research allows to prioritize road safety problems, as well as to determine most underrated causes of road accidents. For example, failure to keep a safe following distance joined the list of dangerous violations only in 2014 (3% of respondents). In 2015, already 7% of respondents ticked off this category in the list of traffic violations. According to the statistics by State Road Traffic Inspectorate, more than 184,000 road accidents happened in 2015, with 10% of those occurring due to an unsafe following distance. Moreover, unsafe following distance has been a contributing factor in thousands road accidents. In 2015, speeding, failure to adjust the speed to the particular situation on the road, and failure to keep a safe following distance resulted in 39,041 road accidents, with 5,197 people killed and 52,467 injured. A joint study by WCIOM and Road Safety Russia shows that more than a half of Russian drivers got into road accidents due to the failure to maintain safe following distance. “Despite this fact, almost 50% of Russian drivers admit disregarding safe following distance, especially when driving in heavy traffic. Moreover, drivers don’t always know how to determine if their following distance is safe, and have no idea that their safety distance-wise depends on weather conditions, their physical and emotional state” – said Konstantin Abramov, WCIOM Fund Chairman of the Board. Which means that failure to keep a safe following distance can be listed as one of the most underrated causes of road accidents. Based on sociological research and State Road Traffic Inspectorate statistics, the topic of a safe following distance has been chosen as a main road safety topic this year. A new joint road safety communication program, Keep Your Distance, will be held from March to May 2016, by the State Road Traffic Inspectorate, the Russian Association of Motor Insurers, with informational support by Road Safety Russia. “This new project follows up on our previous communication programs that Road Safety Russia has been jointly organizing with the State Road Traffic Inspectorate and RAMI for the last eight years; we’ve been aiming to form road safety culture among all road users and to inform the public on the topical problems of road safety. All our projects allowed us to make a significant improvement when it comes to road safety in Russia” – noted Natalia Agre, Road Safety Russia president. Keep Your Distance campaign aims to inform road users on the importance of keeping a safe following distance and to teach them how to calculate a safe distance and factor-in the specifics of the situation: speed, road surface, physical and emotional state of the driver, weather conditions, etc. The campaign will include an educational film, a video spot for federal TV channels, audio spots and interviews for main radio stations all over the country. Road users in Russian regions will be able to participate in practical and theoretical classes on safe following distance. Educational process will engage not only drivers, but passengers, and pedestrians, including children. Special events will be held in driving schools, schools universities, kindergartens, as well as at gas stations, and at Registration and Testing Departments of State Road Traffic Inspectorate. According to Igor Jurgens, president of the Russian Association of Motor Insurers, the campaign will cover not only the topic of keeping a safe following distance in order to prevent an accident, but the know-how of a post-accident situation: “The campaign will help us teach the public how to deal with the consequences, for example, how to fill out Europrotocol forms. We will provide detailed information on insurance products”. For additional information about the campaign, as well as for information about previous social campaigns, refer to bezdtp.ru and rsrussia.org.
