Chairman of the Board of the Avtodor State Company Vyacheslav Petushenko took part in the panel of the Federal Road Agency (Rosavtodor). One of the main issues in the speakers' reports was the topic of the road traffic safety. Safety on the roads is a priority for the State Company. In particular, the Program of the road traffic safety improvement is being implemented. It is annually drawn up based on the detailed analysis of the road traffic accident occasions.
The results of this work have ensured reduction in the core indicators of accidence and enabled to keep positive dynamics in minimizing mortality in road accidents for the period of the company activity since 2011. The number of fatalities in road accidents is reduced by 55.1% while the length of the road network increased by 43.2% (from 2,599 km to 3,771 km). At the same time the share of compliance with the technical performance indicators of the road network is 86.2%.
The length of the toll sections is currently 1,911 km (or 50.7%). The increased speed limit is in place on 30 percent of the network.
In his report, the Director of the Operation and Road Traffic Safety Department Andrey Kazantsev has described the particular measures undertaken.
The toll sections significantly differ by the safety level, which is evidenced by the number of fatalities per 100 km of toll and free sections. Thus, during 8 months in 2021 the number of fatalities at the toll sections has been more than half as much as at the free ones. High level of the road traffic safety at the toll sections is ensured by the work of the Emergency Commissioner Service created for prompt assistance to the road users and prevention of road traffic accidents. Totally 84 crews are on the round-the-clock duty at the State Company road network. The average coverage of toll sections by one crew is up to 20 km, the number of calls is over 75,000 per year, the time of arrival to the site is max. 15 minutes.
The most part of the State Company roads is equipped with a system for separation of opposed streams of the traffic. To this date, the length of sections equipped with the lane guard railing amounts to 2,928 km (or 77.6% of the total length). Along with construction of new roads, where the scope of works includes installation of the lane guard railing, the measures for separation of opposed streams on the State Company roads are taken within the framework of the Program. 67.2 km of the total need for separation of opposed streams amounting to 124.8 km have been already installed in 2021. The planned installation of additional 14 km will amount to 65% of the total need or 162.5% of the 2021 planned target.
Even now, more than 50 percent of the road traffic accidents are collisions in the same directions and side collisions, as well as accidents with obstacle encounter with the share of 16.5%. Nearly all of them are caused by the human factor.
Primary causes of the road traffic accidents related to collision, encounter with obstacle and a stationary vehicle are the following: the loss of driver's concentration while driving (caused by tiredness or sleep on the go), as well as failure to observe the distance and non-compliance of the speed with the particular traffic conditions.
As for the road traffic accidents involving encounter with a stationary vehicle, a part of them occurs on the roadside in sections forbidden for the vehicle stop along the motorways and the express highways. In this respect the State Company takes actions to use mobile systems for automatic capture of the traffic violations related to the vehicle stop and parking (10 Parkon units). Over their operation period (8 months in 2021) more than 4,000 violations have been captured and more than 1,600 administrative fines forwarded.
Concern is caused by the road traffic accidents occurred with participation of transport vehicles committing involuntary stop on a traffic lane or a margin course, including those related to a prior traffic accident, normally without injury, which mostly occur on the free sections, noted Andrey Kazantsev.
While analysing such accidents we understand that their cause is the strict observance by drivers of the road traffic rules forbidding leaving the accident site.
We deem necessary to consider possibility of making changes to the Rules, which will enable to mitigate or exclude the administrative penalty for leaving the accident site without injuries.
