Ukrainian roads to be safe

Last Wednesday the World Bank sent Viktor Bondar, Minister for Transport and Communications of Ukraine, a report on traffic safety control in our country. The Day has frequently reported on this problem, and it remains a pressing issue. Approximately 1,000 traffic accidents, causing injuries or death to about 10 people, occur in Kyiv every day.

According to World Bank experts Eric Howard and Jeanne Breen, the flood of accidents in Ukraine can be stemmed if the authorities adopt an integrated approach to the problem, one that would be part of a new national traffic safety strategy and plan of action. Above all, it is crucial to define and specify the duties of various ministries and departments in traffic safety control and select an organization that will play the leading role in this field. Experts are advising that this role should be assigned to the Ministry of Transport and Communications because this organization deals with these problems and can formulate a coordinated policy.

Certain measures are already being implemented in Kyiv. Tow trucks are back. On June 16 the High Administrative Court of Ukraine ruled that illegally parked cars can be towed to impound lots. Last year tow trucks were allowed, only to be banned shortly afterwards by a court order on the grounds that towing away a vehicle without the owner’s consent is a violation of property rights.

“The court handed down a ruling in favor of Kyiv residents, so now we can take brazen motorists down a peg or two,” said Kyiv’s Mayor Leonid Chornovetsky. The mayor also promised to request the Verkhovna Rada to increase fines for motorists who break parking rules.

Analysts believe that one of the main ways to ensure traffic safety is to redouble efforts aimed at informing the public about the risks and consequences of unacceptable driving behavior. There are plans to revise and improve the strategy and tactics of specific measures aimed at a more effective control of such infractions as speeding, drunk driving, and ignoring safety belts when driving.