Discounts on the speedometer – Newspaper Kommersant No. 241 (7442) of 12/27/2022

The number of speeding violations recorded by the traffic police dropped sharply in November 2022 in a number of regions of the Russian Federation. In Moscow and the Moscow region, for example, the facts of exceeding the limit by 20-40 km/h (the most massive violation) were revealed by 40% less compared to October, and in the Sverdlovsk and Tyumen regions – by 60%. Authorities and experts explain the statistics by seasonal factors: heavy rainfall, heavy traffic and a general slowdown in traffic. In the south of Russia, the number of violations, on the contrary, has increased, and in some subjects it has doubled or tripled.

Kommersant drew attention to the data on the number of violations posted in the statistical section of the traffic police website – in November their number dropped sharply compared to October. This can be seen in the example of the most massive driver’s offense – exceeding the speed limit by 20–40 km/h (Part 2, Article 12.9 of the Code of Administrative Offenses). AT Moscowfor example, such offenses were recorded by 38% less than a month earlier (898 thousand against 1.45 million), Kommersant calculated, in Moscow region — by 40% (1.4 million vs. 2.34 million). AT Rostov region the decrease was 20%, in Chelyabinsk — 40%, in Belgorod region — 42%, in St. Petersburg — 45%, in Novosibirsk region — 46%, in Tatarstan and Khabarovsk Territory — 47%, in Altai Territory — 48%, on Sakhalin — 52%, in Nizhny Novgorod region — 53%, in Tyumen — 61%, in Sverdlovsk – 62%.

The Center for Traffic Management (TsODD) of Moscow called a “common occurrence” a decrease in the number of violations in winter: “This is due to a decrease in the average speed due to worsening weather, drivers adjust it depending on visibility, road conditions and their own skills.”

The TsODD gives an example on November 22, when about 8 mm of precipitation fell per day – the average speed on that day was only 29 km / h, which is 17% less than on the dry days of August.

In the Moscow Region, a decrease in the number of resolutions for exceeding the speed limit is observed annually with the advent of late autumn, Kommersant was told at the MVS Group company (operator of the Moscow region system for fixing violations). “As a rule, in November, the first snow, ice, ruts and snow drifts already appear on the roads near Moscow,” they explain. “By this time, most drivers begin to drive more carefully, avoid sharp maneuvers, keep their distance and do not exceed speed.” In addition, according to MVS Group, in November, the Moscow region was covered several times by heavy snowfalls and blizzards, as a result of which many kilometers of traffic jams formed on the roads, and the average flow rate decreased to 5–10 km/h. The end of the summer season also affects the decrease in the number of violations, the company notes.

Recall, in 2019, the traffic police sent recommendations to the regions not to issue fines from cameras during rain, snowstorms, etc. (the document continues to be valid). The optics of automatic complexes can be covered with dirt and snow, which, in turn, can lead to an increase in the number of erroneous fines.

“If the camera cannot calculate the license plate size in the frame, it cannot correctly calculate the distance along the trajectory, which does not allow calculating the speed,” says Grigory Shukhman, an expert on violation detection systems.

In the TsODD of Moscow, “Kommersant” was assured that they were paying “special attention” to the correct operation of the complexes in winter. “At the stage of primary processing of the material, the technician checks the condition of the roadway,” they said. “If the markings are not visible, then the material is not transferred to the traffic police. If such materials continue to arrive for a long time, the complex is temporarily disabled. The same thing happens if the complex itself is covered with snow or it is polluted.” With dirty numbers, the center said, there are no problems: “Dirt, if it is not applied on purpose, usually gives a readable relief, but any doubts are always interpreted in favor of the driver.”

In some southern regions, the number of violations, on the contrary, has increased. For example, in Crimea 20–40 km/h speed excesses were detected in November three times more than in October. AT Adygea – fivefold increase North Ossetia – 3.6-fold, in Sevastopol violations more by 26%. As the Crimean Ministry of Transport explained to Kommersant, such a sharp increase in fines in the region is primarily due to an increase in the number of cameras: the peninsula is now in the top ten subjects of the country in this indicator (about 600 complexes, another 300 operate in Sevastopol, while in the past year was twice less). Also, according to the department, the surge in violations is affected by relatively good weather and lack of snow.

Ivan Buranov; Alexander Dremlyugin, Simferopol