Russia Sees Six-Year Decrease in Road Deaths

By Irina Titova

The St. Petersburg Times

Published: September 26, 2012 (Issue # 1728)

The number of deaths in car accidents in Russia has decreased by a fifth in the six years since the country introduced a new road safety program, according to Viktor Kiryanov, deputy head of the Interior Affairs Ministry, Interfax reported.

“In 2011 the number of people killed in car accidents decreased by 18.9 percent compared to 2004, the year that the program was launched,” Kiryanov said. “The number of children who died in traffic accidents dropped by 32.8 percent and the number of pedestrians killed in such accidents decreased by 38.9 percent,” he said.

Kiryanov said the number of casualties had decreased despite the fact that the total number of cars in the country had increased by 35 percent.

However, last year some regions registered an increase in the number of car accidents and the number of people who were injured or killed in those accidents. Kiryanov said these statistics were connected to a range of factors, including the increasing number of vehicles in Russia and the condition of road infrastructure, the development of which has failed to keep pace with the increase in traffic.

Kiryanov said it was necessary not only to inform the population about road safety rules but also to teach them to understand the presence of such danger.

“Often people think that traffic accidents concern other people and will never affect them,” he said.

“They may think that the safety measures limit their freedom and their right to transportation. An example of this is the legislation on safety belts and child safety seats, which caused widespread dissatisfaction. People often don’t know that it is far more dangerous for a mother to hold a child in her arms than to put the child in a safety seat while traveling by car,” he added.