Topic "Safety traffic maintenance" in program "Conversation with the Minister" broadcast by radio station "Militia wave"

MW. After each issue with participation of the Minister of Interior we broadcast, the editorial office is flooded with letters and messages from citizens.

The issue of providing safety on roads and the work of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate is always urgent, which has a reason: after all, each of us participates in the general traffic somehow.

- Rashid Gumarovich, today it would be nice to discuss this aspect of the Ministry's activity, the traffic safety maintenance.

Minister. Yes, this subject remains urgent, causes quite a number of questions and hot discussions. The attention of the whole world community is now focused on it. You know that literally one of these days a joint Declaration of the 1^st world traffic safety conference will be signed in New York.

MW. Rashid Gumarovich, what is the situation with the safety on roads of our country like?

Minister. First of all, I will mention that efforts of employees of units of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate have always been focused on the maintenance of safety on roads. Thanks to this uneasy work, under unfavorable weather circumstances we have managed to reduce the basic traffic accident rate.

Thus last year, the traffic accident rate in the country has decreased almost by 7% last year. The number of death victims has dropped by approximately 13% while the reduction in the number of wounded road users has dropped by 5%. Anyway, these dry percent rates stand for thousands of rescued human lives.

Here I would like to remind that since 2006 the Federal target program "Traffic safety" planned till 2012 has been in action in the country. It provides a foundation for a decrease in the traffic accident rate. This program provides for a wide range of legislative, organizational and technical measures. For example, hardware and software systems are being implemented into the units of the road patrol service today. First of all, this offers opportunities of identification of vehicles by means of their state numbers.

Also, 800 stationary and over a thousand mobile photo and video offence recording systems are in action. Patrol cars are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, road patrol service crews are getting more and more mobile, have access to all database and operate the navigating equipment of the GLONASS system at their disposal.

But the most important thing is that these are not mere words or abstract rates... One should understand that any rate means people, drivers and pedestrians. It does not matter whether a person steers a motor vehicle or goes on foot, in any case, it is on their understanding and mutual respect that their own lives depend. And our mission is to form the people's consciousness in a way this would become a moral standard. The mutual responsibility is what actually counts.

MW. Rashid Gumarovich, a grown-up person can easily and precisely imagine the road and is capable of making decisions to protect his or her life. With children is a totally different thing. Neither in the car, nor when crossing the road can children be fully responsible for their actions and estimate the danger of the situation.

Minister. You are absolutely right. The work aimed at the prevention of traffic injuries involving children is one of our main priorities. We also observe a positive trend here.

In recent years the death-roll of children aged till 7 has decreased more than by 30%. The decrease in the death-roll of older children is even more considerable. We tend to refer it to the obligatory use of children's keeping devices. Much attention is given to the increase of the children's general level of road culture. A federal state educational standard is approved, which contains teaching materials aimed at school children to enhance their skills of safe behavior as pedestrians, passengers and drivers of a bicycle and a moped.

Many schools of the country establish educational classes, and special motor vehicle parks are under construction. Essentials of traffic safety rules and behavior on roads are being taught in some kindergartens already. This work serves our future and will manifest itself in dozens of years. We hope that when these children grow they will have good understanding of the road situation, that they will know the rules and obligations of behavior in the street. The correct awareness of the life protection, of the safety maintenance is what pedestrians and future drivers should be taught from the cradle. 

MW. The subject of safety of Russian roads is all-inclusive and we would not have time to discuss everything pertaining to it. But our editorial office has lots of questions from our listeners in this respect. I think that we shall continue our conversation about it at one of our following.

Minister. I do believe that this is an urgent and comprehensive issue, and we will discuss more aspects of this difficult but very important work at our following meeting.

Program "Conversation with the Minister" on the radio station "Militia wave",

mvd.ru

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