Participants of the event - legislators, representatives of state agencies and public organizations - discussed the situation with road safety in Ukraine under martial law, new legislative initiatives in this area; possible global and local solutions in the field of safety; the condition of roads and street infrastructure; the need to train all traffic participants in first aid skills; educational programs for young traffic participants, other relevant issues.

"Road safety is an issue of national importance. After all, behind every statistic are human lives. The events taking place within the framework of the All-Ukrainian Road Safety Week are a vivid example of a comprehensive approach to solving the problem," - Volodymyr Kreidenko, People's Deputy of Ukraine, Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Transport and Infrastructure, noted during a round table on the occasion of the start of the Week.

Oleksiy Biloshitsky, First Deputy Head of the Patrol Police Department of Ukraine, published the latest statistics on road accidents. In the first 10 months of 2024, 21,562 road accidents with fatalities and injuries occurred in Ukraine, which is 9% more than last year. 2,541 people died - 2% more than last year. 26,959 people were injured in these accidents (+8.8% increase).

The roundtable was joined by the rector of the Donetsk State University of Internal Affairs, police colonel Serhiy Vitvitsky, who emphasized that holding such nationwide events as Road Safety Week, even under martial law, is important for uniting society. "With the joint efforts of public administration bodies, educational and scientific institutions, as well as the public, we are able to model a new system of safe mobility and implement it," noted Serhiy Vitvytsky.

One of the key causes of road accidents involving vehicles of licensed carriers is drivers' failure to comply with the work and rest regime, said Dmytro Gladchuk, Director of the Department of State Supervision of Safety in Land Transport of Ukrtranssafety. Therefore, fatigue is a contributing cause of two-thirds of road accidents: out of 2,357 accidents recorded involving ground transport drivers this year, in 69% of cases the cause of the accidents was the drivers' failure to comply with the rules of work and rest.

"As practice shows, in two out of three cases of road accidents, the underlying cause was that the driver disregarded the rules, driving for 10-12 hours without a break," noted Dmytro Gladchuk.

According to him, carriers force their drivers to drive longer than the rules allow.

Smart tachographs, which allow for control without stopping the vehicle, can help solve this problem. Ukrtranssafety, together with the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development, is working on the implementation of this innovative system.

Pavlo Hrytsak, Head of the Standardization Department of the Main Service Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, focused on the admission of persons with disabilities to drive vehicles, which is one of the current issues.

The Main Service Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is actively participating in the implementation of the National Strategy for Creating a Barrier-Free Space, developed at the initiative of the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska.

"There are driving schools in Ukraine where people with disabilities can learn how to drive. After completing the training and receiving a driver's license, such graduates can convert their vehicle." For this purpose, the Main Service Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs has developed a special algorithm of actions; detailed information about this can be found on the website of the Main Service Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs,” Pavlo Hrytsak reported.

Photo: Ukrinform