The government has prepared instructions to combat the increase in road accidents

As Kommersant learned, the Russian government has prepared instructions to combat the increase in road accidents, which has been observed since the beginning of the year. Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin instructed road workers, the traffic police and the regions to develop plans for relevant measures – in particular, the installation of speed bumps and traffic lights at pedestrian crossings, as well as the installation of noise stripes on sections of roads. They should also check areas with permitted overtaking and move cameras to the most dangerous places. Experts support most of the measures, but wonder why the government is forced to deal with such “purely technical issues.”

Kommersant got acquainted with the minutes of the meeting of the government commission on road safety, where the situation with the increase in accident rates was discussed. Kommersant spoke about this problem back in April, but the situation has not improved since then: according to the results of eight months of 2023, the number of road accidents increased by 4%. Following the meeting, the head of the commission, Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, gave a number of instructions; a representative of the Deputy Prime Minister confirmed this to Kommersant.

By December 1, 2023, Rosavtodor, the state company Avtodor, regions and the Ministry of Internal Affairs must develop plans to reduce accidents, defining implementation deadlines and sources of financing. The plans must indicate the arrangement of pedestrian crossings combined with speed bumps. Another measure is the installation of traffic lights with a signal call button at uncontrolled crossings located on roads with four or more lanes. All this is already being done within the framework of the national project “Safe Quality Roads” (SQR), but now subjects should pay special attention to this, a source familiar with the preparation of instructions explained to Kommersant, as statistics show an increase in collisions with pedestrians.

To reduce the number of departures from the highways, Mr. Khusnullin ordered the installation of additional noise stripes on two-lane roads when approaching turns, as well as the installation of “Traffic Direction” signs. All this is done “in order to further inform drivers and concentrate their attention.” According to the traffic police, over eight months, 2.8 thousand car rollovers were recorded (+24% compared to the same period last year) and 8.82 thousand road exits (+2%).

Until March 1, 2024, Rosavtodor, Avtodor, regions and the Ministry of Internal Affairs will “work on the issue” of installing or relocating cameras to emergency road sections, as well as to areas with a large number of accidents without casualties. According to Kommersant, by May 1, the Ministry of Transport, Rosavtodor and Avtodor must consider the technology for applying temporary road markings in the off-season. The fact is that markings applied in the fall are often erased by the end of winter, so a solution is needed to restore them before the start of the repair season.

Another point of the instructions concerns traffic accidents in the oncoming lane. In January-August, more than 6.7 thousand such accidents occurred (-0.9%), killing 2.3 thousand people (+5.3%). Until May 15, 2024, road workers, together with the regions, will inspect two-lane country roads in places where overtaking is allowed, and, if necessary, apply markings 1.11 (allows overtaking on one side only) in areas of limited visibility. This solution, according to Kommersant’s information, was proposed because overtaking areas are designed based on the speed limit “according to signs.” But in reality, drivers drive 20 km/h faster due to the non-penalty threshold. This situation increases the risk of head-on collisions, so additional examination is needed.

First Deputy Chairman of the Duma Committee on Transport Pavel Fedyaev told Kommersant that the draft federal budget for next year has already included money for “separate federal projects” in the field of improving the safety and quality of roads. We are talking, in particular, about 11 billion rubles. for the development of roads in rural areas – and more than 3 billion rubles. for the implementation of intelligent transport systems. The “transport” part of the budget will be considered on October 10 at a committee meeting.

The order to install cameras in areas where many accidents occur without casualties seems to be “in demand,” they say OKO Association (unites manufacturers and operators of photo and video recording systems). “It will allow us to move on to preventive work to reduce accidents,” they say. But they point out that the new law regulating cameras (comes into force in 2024) does not provide for the installation of complexes in places where there are no accidents with victims, even if minor accidents occur there. Areas of concentration of road accidents arise due to poor traffic management, recalls ONF expert Katerina Solovyova, but it is often easier for regions and municipalities not to deal with this, but to install a video recording system with the prospect of receiving additional income for the budget.

Mrs. Solovyova supports the installation of artificial speed bumps in front of schools and kindergartens. But such a practice, in her opinion, can lead to new problems. “In residential areas and areas with dense buildings, residents, fighting with the “racers,” arbitrarily install bumps – in large quantities and not in accordance with GOST,” says the expert. “Because of such “growths” on the road Drivers often leave the bumper on the asphalt even at low speeds. This should not happen; car owners should retain the right to normal travel without damage to the car.”

Commenting on the order for temporary markings, coordinator of the “Map of Dead Roads” project, Alexander Vasiliev, says that as a temporary solution in the off-season, it can be restored with ordinary paint. But during the repair season it is necessary to redo it with thermoplastic, the expert warns.

“It’s a pity that the Russian government today has to deal with such purely technical issues,” summarizes Katerina Solovyova. “It turns out that the traffic safety and infrastructure management system is experiencing difficulties. But technical methods alone cannot reduce the accident rate: an integrated approach is needed.” In many regions, the expert explains, it has become difficult for the traffic police to control drivers (especially drunk ones), since the number of inspectors there is being reduced, and cameras cannot cover all violations.

Judging by the minutes, the White House has begun preparing a new road safety strategy for 2025–2035. Proposals for this document will have to be submitted by the end of 2024 to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The previous strategy, we recall, was approved in 2018 and ends at the end of 2024. With its help, the authorities wanted to reduce the number of deaths in road accidents to four people per 100 thousand population, but later postponed this goal to 2030. As of the end of 2022, the indicator was 9.66, and its current value is unknown.

Ivan Buranov